Belgium MP proposes sports betting ban on youth competitions
Allowing gambling on youth sporting events “like selling tobacco on a playground”
A Belgian MP has introduced a bill to the Belgian parliament that would ban the countries operators from offering sports betting on all youth sporting competitions.
Els Van Hoof, an MP with the Belgian Christian Democrat party (CD&V), said: “As a government, we give a very bad signal by allowing gambling at youth competitions. Young people are very susceptible to the risks of gambling addiction.
“Allowing gambling at youth contests is like allowing to sell tobacco on a playground. Young people should not be the subject of use with such major health risks.”
Gambling by minors has been banned since 1999, however, betting on sporting competitions featuring underage participants is not.
In addition to this, Belgian law states that individuals under the age of 21 are forbidden to enter gambling establishments and no betting by individuals under the age of 18 is allowed.
However, recent research has found that 20% of Belgian schoolchildren have allegedly bet on sporting events, with between 4-6% saying that they have done so at least once a week. 4.5% of Flemish and 7.5% of Walloon underage participants in gambling are classified as at risk of developing a gambling addiction.
Van Hoof added: “Youth competitions remain much more under the radar, which opens the door wide for criminal practices such as bribery and match-fixing. Youth sport should be a place of sports and games fun, far away from the risks of online gambling.”
The bill will now be presented in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for consideration before being voted on for passage to the next stage of the Belgian legislative process, which will see it debated by Senators in the upper chamber of the Belgian parliament.