The European Gaming and Betting Association, EGBA, carried out a study of the draft legislation proposed by the Belgium government on its gaming and sports betting industry, and found that the law contravened many of the principles set forth by the European Commission. As such, the EC has disapproved the draft that was okayed by the country’s Council of Ministers.

"The requirement for operators to be established in Belgium is one of the clearest violations of EC Treaty provisions," said the Director for Regulatory Affairs at EGBA, Maarten Haijer. "It wrongly denies that many online gaming operators are effectively regulated, licensed and controlled elsewhere in the EU. As several jurisdictions in the EU already prove, it is possible to guarantee a high level of consumer protection and have a well regulated and competitive online gaming and betting market at the same time."