Nearly 50,000 people have voluntarily blacklisted themselves from gambling

In 2023, just under 6,000 people have voluntarily excluded themselves from gambling. Since the start of the 'blacklist' in 2004, the Belgian Gambling Commission has registered almost 50,000 voluntary exclusions, writes De Zondag.

People on the blacklist, officially known as the Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS), can no longer enter either offline or online casinos, gaming halls or betting shops in Belgium. People can be added to the system in a number of ways, including through a court order or because they work in a certain profession which is automatically excluded.

People can also put themselves on the list voluntarily in order to combat their gambling addiction. Last year 5,964 people did so, slightly fewer than the 7,278 voluntary exclusions in 2022. The Gambling Commission has recorded a total of 49,708 voluntary exclusions up to 1 January 2024.

Those who have been voluntarily excluded can have themselves removed from the list. They can start gambling again after a mandatory three-month waiting period.

^{© BELGA PHOTO MAXIME ASSELBERGHS}