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It is a very sad news which falls this beginning of the week for our Belgian compatriots. We have learned that slot machines will now be limited in cafes. It must be said that this has already been the case for many years on the side of our European neighbors like France and that it was therefore hanging in the face of the various establishments concerned. We invite you to see more clearly what is likely to change a lot of things on the side of the players, but also the managers of cafes.

We would have liked so much, within the editorial staff of Roulette.be, to still tell you about big winners of jackpots on casinos or online slot machine games like these last two days, but today’s news is much less optimistic for the world of games, although this is only a simple reform which will certainly upset the world of games in Belgium, but which will not necessarily be fatal.

Slot Machines In Cafes

You should know that slot machines in cafes have not been controlled for a few years now, unlike neighboring countries like France where they are banned altogether. But it is precisely this lack of legislation and control that has in fact triggered a proliferation of games in these establishments. An opportunity therefore for the federal government to ban them today, before quite simply re-authorizing them… but under certain new conditions.

You will understand: big changes are underway in the gaming world in Belgium and we will try to see more clearly together. The world of games in Belgium will therefore undergo some upheavals from next January. Changes that mainly affect their use, as you will be able to discover.

A New Bill Approved

This project is the vector of a well-defined objective which consists above all in classifying “3.3 machines”, ie automatic game equipment. For the little anecdote, you should know that these machines called 3.3 are in fact by reference to article 3.3 of the law of May 7, 1999 on games of chance.

Games In Cafes

But back to the main topic of our article. Previously, the law only allowed card games between friends, as long as they had non-profit stakes. But over time, we have been able to realize that this gaming offer has gradually and rapidly developed to then give operators and cafetiers the opportunity to offer many other products.

In the end, we can see that the sector had at least 6,000 active machines. Devices which then reported on average an annual figure of some 70 million euros. No wonder then to see many establishments multiply the number of machines available within their restaurant establishment. Worse still, some even went beyond the half-measure by providing their customers come to eat or have a drink, a park of more than 20 slot machines of the kind in their café. Sometimes you wonder if you entered a cafe or rather a casino with a real games room.

A Radical Change In Belgium

This is one of the main reasons the government has looked into the issue. And the answer to the fight against the proliferation of these machines in unsuitable places is therefore this bill which affects this part of the market which will now be subject to strict control. The solution found here is therefore to limit their number.

Justice Minister Koen Geens makes no secret of wanting to take responsibility for this reform and officially announces that new arrangements have been made. They are in fact to prohibit advertisements of games of chance during a direct broadcast of sports competitions.

In addition, this project requires each operator to have a license issued by the Gaming Commission (CJH). Another control method: it will be imperative for the municipality in which the café is installed to give its approval for the operation of the machines on its territory. It is therefore a procedure which requires each device to comply with very specific standards with the regulator concerned. This is therefore a system which makes it possible to detect the age of players and above all to protect mainly children and minors.

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