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Gambling licence

Would you like to open a betting shop, or install a gambling machine in your newsagents or a bingo machine in your cafe? You'll need a licence from the Gaming Commission (Commission des Jeux de Hasard - CJH) to operate any premises where gambling or betting takes place.

Depending on the case, you may need to apply for an opinion from the Mayor and an agreement with the local authority beforehand.

Your establishment must be located within the City of Brussels.

The licence application itself must be made to the External siteCommission des Jeux de Hasard. Depending on the type of establishment operated, an opinion from the Mayor and an agreement with the local authority will be required:

Cafe

  1. Request an opinion from the Mayor, certifying that all legal operating conditions have been met. The request must be made by e-mail: horeca@brucity.be with the required documents.
  2. Apply for or renew your External siteclass C licence with the Commission des Jeux de Hasard.
    Please note that a maximum of two bingo machines and two machines with reduced stakes are authorised per establishment.

Betting shop

  1. Request an External siteopinion from the Mayor who will certify that all legal operating conditions have been met, and draw up an agreement between the betting shop and the City of Brussels
    Requests for opinions and agreements should be made by e-mail: jeuxdehasard@brucity.be.
  2. Apply for or renew your External siteclass F2 licence with the Commission des Jeux de Hasard.
    It should be noted that betting shops are prohibited in the vicinity of educational establishments, hospitals and places frequented by young people. Furthermore, betting shops must be a minimum distance of 1000 metres apart.

Newsagent

  1. Request an External siteopinion from the Mayor certifying that all legal operating conditions have been met.
    The request must be made by e-mail: jeuxdehasard@brucity.be. with the required documents.
  2. Apply for or renew your External siteclass F2 licence with the Commission des Jeux de Hasard.

More info?

The documents you need to provide to request an opinion from the Mayor vary according to the type of premises run:

Cafe

  1. Horeca certificate of conformity
  2. Criminal Record Extract less than 3 months old for operators, managers and partners

Newsagent

  1. Invoice or contract from the press distributor, possibly supplemented by another document proving that at least 200 different titles of daily, weekly and monthly newspapers are offered for sale
  2. Plan and photos of the establishment showing that the betting area occupies no more than 1/5th of the total commercial area and no more than 10 m² in total and that the advertising is placed in no more than 1/5th of the commercial space and no more than 3 m² in total
  3. Extract from the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises proving that the establishment is registered as a commercial enterprise
  4. Declaration on honour that the newsagent only engages in betting between 6 am and 8 pm and that it is not a place where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises

The fee varies from 1,250 to 2,500 euros depending on the number of games operated in the establishment.

Once you have submitted your application for an opinion from the Mayor, you have five working days to pay the fee. After this deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and closed.

Once you have submitted your application for an opinion from the Mayor, you must comply with certain deadlines:

  • Five working days to pay the fee. After this deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and closed.
  • One month to provide all the required documents. After this deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and an unfavourable opinion will automatically be sent to the Commission des Jeux de Hasard.

You will receive the Mayor's opinion within two months of submitting your complete application.

PRACTICAL INFO