Casino age in Belgium: 21, with only one exception left

Many players still assume the age is 18: until recently, that was when you could bet on a football match. For casinos, the bar is higher. The casino age in Belgium is 21, whether you walk into a gaming venue or open an account online.

Since 1 September 2024, that threshold has covered every game of chance regulated by the Gambling Act, sports betting included. One family of games is still open to 18-year-olds, and the Constitutional Court reviewed the rule at the end of 2025.

The casino age in Belgium is the same in a venue and online

The threshold is set by Article 54 of the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999. Today it bars anyone under 21 from the gaming rooms of casinos (class I), amusement arcades (class II) and betting shops (class IV). It also forbids them from playing in a café (class III), betting outside a betting shop and gambling online.

The type of licence therefore makes no difference to the player. An online casino linked to a land-based casino holds an A+ licence. Casino King, the authorised Belgian online casino, offers its games under Gaming Commission licence B+19763, which is linked to an amusement arcade. Either way, you must be 21 or over for all the real-money casino games on offer, from dice slots and dice games to roulette and card games.

Is it 18 or 21 for casinos in Belgium after the 2024 reform?

Before the reform, Belgium applied two thresholds: 21 for casinos and amusement arcades, 18 for betting and for the machines found in cafés. That is the source of the confusion that persists today.

The Act of 18 February 2024, tabled by MP Stefaan Van Hecke and passed by the Chamber of Representatives on 25 January 2024, removed the second threshold. Published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 1 March 2024, it has applied since 1 September 2024. The stated aim was to give young people better protection against problem gambling. The Gaming Commission summarises the measures on its website.

Between 18 and 20, you can therefore no longer place a bet, whether in a betting shop, at a newsagent or online, and that includes Scooore, the National Lottery's betting brand. The machines in cafés are off limits too. And since 1 May 2026, newsagents that take bets must also check the customer's identity and consult the EPIS register.

The National Lottery remains the only exception

Lotto, EuroMillions and the National Lottery's scratch cards are, for now, still open to anyone aged 18 and over. These lotteries fall under a different legal framework from the Gambling Act, and the 2024 reform left them untouched.

Several operators challenged the reform before the Constitutional Court, which delivered judgment no. 165/2025 on 11 December 2025. The Court upheld the age of 21, finding that it pursues a legitimate protective aim. However, it held that leaving certain National Lottery online lottery games open from 18 was discriminatory, and gave the legislature until 31 December 2026 to put that right.

A second judgment, no. 45/2026 of 16 April 2026, clarified that position. Lottery games sold over the counter, from Lotto tickets to scratch cards, remain exempt, which the Court considered justified by the lower risk of addiction. Online lottery games, on the other hand, escape both the EPIS check and the age limit of 21, and it is this twofold difference in treatment that lawmakers must put right by 31 December 2026.

Whatever is decided for the lotteries, neither judgment calls the over-21 rule for casinos into question.

What age to enter a casino and which ID to show

In a casino, an amusement arcade or a betting shop, it is not only playing that is forbidden under 21: so is entry to the gaming room. Coming along with a friend without playing makes no difference. Only adult staff may enter, to work there and never to play.

The Act of 7 May 2024 sets out how that check works. The operator must identify everyone who enters the gaming room, other than people there on professional business, and confirm that the document shown belongs to that person. Accepted documents are the Belgian electronic identity card, an electronic residence permit or registration certificate, a chip-enabled foreign identity card or a diplomatic identity card. A passport is only accepted when electronic identification is technically impossible, and neither a driving licence nor a student card is on the list.

The same identification check also consults the EPIS register, which lists people banned from gambling. Self-excluding from a casino is the subject of a separate article.

Minimum age for gambling online and the check before your first stake

Online, the law forbids anyone under 21 from gambling ‘through information society instruments’. At Casino King, your identity and date of birth are verified with itsme or your Belgian eID card before your first stake, and the EPIS register is checked every time you log in. A gambling ban issued after you register therefore applies to your account straight away.

An operator that lets you play without any identity check does not hold a Belgian licence. It is one of the easiest ways to spot an illegal online casino.

Once you have turned 21, other protections take over. Everything that helps you gamble responsibly, from deposit limits to taking a break from your account, is brought together on a dedicated page.

Under 21: the operator bears the responsibility

The law targets first and foremost whoever grants access. An operator that admits a player who is too young faces sanctions from the Gaming Commission, up to and including the withdrawal of its licence.

The 2024 reform added a lesser-known rule. If the Gaming Commission finds that an operator did not check a player's age at the entrance, or knowingly let in a player who was under 21, it can decide that the player's stake is to be returned to them in full.

The casino age limit is still 18 in France and the Netherlands

Belgium is noticeably stricter than its neighbours. In France, gambling is prohibited for minors, which puts the threshold at 18. The Netherlands also sets it at 18: raising it to 21 for the riskiest online games was considered in 2025 but set aside for the time being during a committee debate in the Dutch House of Representatives on 3 September 2026.

On Belgian soil, whether in a gaming venue or on a site licensed by the Gaming Commission, Belgian law applies, whatever the player's nationality.

Gambling age: the special cases

Are you 21 or over? You can set up your player account: the identity check described above takes place as soon as you register.