Ladbrokes slapped with Belgian licence suspension

The Belgian Gaming Commission will suspend Ladbrokes’ licence in the country for 24 hours next month after the bookmaker was reportedly found to have offered unauthorised virtual betting.

The violations occurred in 2017 and earlier this year, according to the Brussels Times, which cited multiple newspapers, including La Dernière Heure, Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen. No mention of the sanction was published on the commission’s website.

The suspension will take effect on September 3, with Ladbrokes blocked from accepting retail or online bets from customers in Belgium.

The punishment will be imposed on the Tiercé Ladbroke brand and Derby SA, the Belgian subsidiary of the bookmaker, the report said.

Until the end of June 2017, Ladbrokes had an effective monopoly on land-based virtual betting in the country, with no other operator having received the same authorisation, despite challenges from the likes of Rocoluc.

According to the report, Ladbrokes continued to offer virtual betting up to March 14 this year.

The commission noted that the company had “not contested the materiality of the facts”.

Ladbrokes had not responded to a request for clarifications from iGamingBusiness.com at the time of publication.

PICTURE: Garry Cornes