Choosing a casino used to involve asking around your friends and family, or possibly even acquaintances, regarding which establishments offer the best games, style, and so on. With online gambling, the decision regarding which option is best for you has changed slightly and, in many ways, become overwhelming due to the sheer choice available.
The excellent news is that, despite hundreds of options, many are unlicensed, making it easier to narrow down to a smaller shortlist of those that are actually licensed and play by the rules. Here, we are going to take a look at a few of the best choices available to those interested in having a flutter but also want some assurances that they are playing at a legitimate place.
PepperMill Casino
While this post is predominantly about finding licensed online Belgian casinos, PepperMill gets the first outing because it meets this criterion and does so with gusto, while also providing a giant range of games, which is really what it’s all about. Whether we can say that this is the best licensed online casino in Belgium or not isn’t for us to come to such a bold conclusion, but it is fair to say that, alongside their obvious commitment to remain fully within the bounds of Belgian law, they don’t skimp on their offerings.
They offer the usual roster of casino games, with a huge variation in each option, making it an incredibly enjoyable experience. You can feel safe knowing that if anything goes awry, you have recourse to correct it, which is more than can be said for other non-licensed establishments.
Casino 777
Casino 777 is an intriguing addition to our list because (like all Belgian-licensed casinos) it has historic ties to the land-based historic Casino de Spa. What this means for the casual player is yet to be seen, but for those who take their gambling a little more seriously, it means that they may be able to use any VIP bonuses and passes interchangeably between both online and offline options.
And, with such a connection comes the need to be fully licensed by the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC), as is the case with all other entries in this post.
Napoleon Sports & Casino
Napoleon Sports & Casino offers similar types of table and casino games to others here, but also a sportsbook, allowing punters to place bets on their favorite teams and sports. They also have an excellent native application that enables players to gamble on the move rather than having to log directly into a browser-based website.
They are also renowned for their rapid deposit and withdrawal systems, which make it far less stressful to withdraw your cash and call it a day after winning big, rather than waiting for your money to hit your bank account.
Circus Casino
Our final selection is Circus Casino, which has plenty of games to keep even the fussiest gamblers’ appetites sated. The only issue is that they offer a gamified experience, which may appeal to some but can be off-putting to others, so that is something to consider before choosing it.
Why Choosing A Licensed Casino Ought To Be Mandatory
When discussing online gambling in other countries, licensing tends to be less of an issue. Not because it isn’t good to have, but more because they aren’t tied to anything in particular. But per Belgian law, any online casino that applies for a license must be tied to a real, physical casino.
This gives the license more “teeth,” so to speak, and makes it far more powerful for the customer if anything were to go wrong. Other than that rather large advantage, there are a few other reasons for choosing licensed casinos:
- Guaranteed payouts and legal recourse: Any casino that has been licensed by the BGC has to maintain strict solvency ratios and hold enough cash to pay out even the largest wins. While most reputable unlicensed online casinos are very likely to pay out winnings to avoid severe damage to their brand reputation, most won’t have the ability to pay out if they don’t have enough money on hand…something that BGC-licensed casinos are legally required to have.
- Certified and audited games: In many ways, when you jump online to a random casino, you have no idea if the odds are tipped against you. Obviously, it’s a casino, so they will be, but it’s the extent to which they are that is the issue. Licensed casinos have to undergo strict auditing for their games to ensure fairness and avoid the establishment just taking your money outside of the scope of fair play.
- Robust financial and data protections: Whenever you’re using anything online, you have to remain at least somewhat vigilant to the risk of data and financial theft. Online casinos are magnets for organized crime, and if you fail to use fully legal establishments, you hugely increase your risk of being
- Automated player protections: You may not personally look for these features, but it’s nice to have the option. All licensed online casinos in Belgium must contain very stringent guardrails to ensure that those prone to excess don’t go overboard and destroy their lives. In most cases, the average player is usually able to contain themselves and maintain a level of discipline. But for those unable to do so but still enjoy playing once in a while, licensed casinos in Belgium make it easy to set up automated controls that prevent them from falling too far.
How To Choose A Casino And What To Look For
Just knowing that you ought to opt for licensed establishments is half the battle. The other half is actually knowing what you’re looking for! Luckily, there are a few telltale signs to keep an eye out for, such as the following:
- Prominent display of the BGC logo and number: In most cases, the information will be displayed in the footer of the website. In some instances, it may be more prominent, but the point is to seek it out and confirm its validity using the registration number.
- Payment infrastructure: Any Belgian casino should provide an easy way to connect to your local bank or e-wallet, and in the best case, use a local payment processor.
- Game library: There is no use registering for a site just because it is licensed. It also needs a large selection of enjoyable games to make the process worthwhile and keep you from moving to another potentially unlicensed casino.
Fortunately, Belgium has some of the strictest laws surrounding online casinos, in that it is straightforward to find very high-quality options that comply with the law. As long as you select an establishment that offers the games you enjoy and you can play responsibly, the casinos mentioned in this post should give you a fantastic head start.
Published by HOLR Magazine.