- Status
- Judgment entered (judgment)
- As of
- 11 Dec 2025 · read from the court record
- Court
- Grondwettelijk Hof / Cour constitutionnelle · Supreme or high court
- Docket
- arrest 165/2025, rolnummers 8309, 8313, 8314, 8315, 8316 en 8319 (ECLI:BE:GHCC:2025:ARR.165)
- Filed
- 28 Aug 2024
- Type
- Constitutional challenge, licensing and administrative court cases
- Money
- No settlement fund or award on record
- Payout
- No payout exists as of 14 Nov 2026
Status words follow the court record: a complaint states one side's allegations, only the court's orders decide anything. Filing a settlement claim is always free.
What this case is about
Six groups of operators attacked four measures of the law of 18 February 2024. On 11 December 2025 the Court annulled article 4 (the ban on cumulating licences on one website and redirecting players), because it does not apply to comparable online lottery games of the Nationale Loterij, but maintained its effects until new legislation and at the latest 31 December 2026. It rejected the other pleas against the 21-year age limit, the bonus ban and the advertising ban, while finding (B.30.2, B.36.2, B.45.2) that the absence of similar rules for certain online lottery games in the Nationale Loterij law is discriminatory and ordering the legislature to remove those discriminations by 31 December 2026.
What this case is about
Arrest 165/2025 (ECLI:BE:GHCC:2025:ARR.165, joined case numbers 8309, 8313, 8314, 8315, 8316 and 8319) is the Belgian Constitutional Court's ruling on the law of 18 February 2024 on player protection.
Six groups of operators, filing in 2024, attacked four measures: the ban on cumulating licences on one website, the 21-year age limit, the bonus ban and the advertising ban.
The plaintiffs invoked equality (arts. 10-11 of the Constitution) between private operators and the Nationale Loterij, and freedom of enterprise and proportionality. It is one of the Licensing and Administrative Court Cases on judicial review of gambling law.
Who is covered
The plaintiffs were nv Ascot e.a.; nv NGG e.a.; nv Chaudfontaine Loisirs and bv SGS Betting; Unibet Belgium Ltd e.a.; nv Derby; and nv Gambling Management e.a. The defendant was the Belgian State (Ministerraad).
The ruling applies to Belgian licensed operators and to the Nationale Loterij. More cases against the same defendant are listed under Belgian State (Ministerraad) Lawsuits.
Is there a payout?
No payout exists in this case. It was a constitutional review of a statute brought by operators, with no fund, damages or claim process for players.
Filing a settlement claim is free wherever a claim exists, but none exists here. GamblingLawsuits.org is not a law firm and not a claims administrator.
What the court decided
On 11 December 2025 the Court annulled article 4, the ban on cumulating licences on one website and redirecting players, because it does not apply to comparable online lottery games of the Nationale Loterij. It maintained the effects of the annulment until new legislation and at the latest 31 December 2026.
It rejected the other pleas against the 21-year age limit, the bonus ban and the advertising ban. It also found (B.30.2, B.36.2, B.45.2) that the absence of similar rules for certain online lottery games in the Nationale Loterij law is discriminatory. It ordered the legislature to remove those discriminations by 31 December 2026.
As of 14 November 2026 that deadline is the next date to watch. See Gambling Lawsuits in Belgium for the other Belgian rulings.
Why it matters
The judgment largely upheld one of Europe's strictest player-protection packages while holding that the state cannot exempt its own lottery from comparable rules. The result pushes the legislature toward equal treatment, not toward repeal.
The same court ruled on a second 2024 law in Grondwettelijk Hof 45/2026, which concerns the EPIS check.
Questions people ask
Did the Belgian court uphold the advertising ban?
Yes. On 11 December 2025 the Court rejected the pleas against the advertising ban, the bonus ban and the 21-year age limit.
Which measure was annulled?
Article 4, the ban on cumulating licences on one website and redirecting players. Its effects stay until new legislation, at the latest 31 December 2026.
Why is the National Lottery exception discriminatory?
The Court found that certain comparable online lottery games of the Nationale Loterij are not covered by similar rules. It ordered the legislature to remove those discriminations by 31 December 2026.
Related cases
- Grondwettelijk Hof 45/2026 (16 April 2026): partial annulment proceedings against the law of 7 May 2024 (EPIS check), decided by the same court.
Who is involved
Plaintiffs: nv Ascot e.a.; nv NGG e.a.; nv Chaudfontaine Loisirs and bv SGS Betting; Unibet Belgium Ltd e.a.; nv Derby; nv Gambling Management e.a.
| Defendants | Belgian State (Ministerraad) |
|---|---|
| Claims |
|
Is there a payout?
No payout exists in this case as of 14 Nov 2026.
What happens next
No future date is on the record we hold. The case is closed on the record we hold; later appeals or enforcement steps would be added here.
Timeline
2 dated steps on record, oldest first. Future dates come from court notices and can move.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 28 Aug 2024 | Filed |
| 11 Dec 2025 | Judgment entered |
Documents and sources
3 primary sources (court file, administrator notice, regulator) and 0 secondary. Press is supporting evidence only.
- Court document: nl.const-court.be
- Court document: nl.const-court.be
| What it supports | Source | Type | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| press release arrest 165/2025, 11 Dec 2025, holdings and deadlines | nl.const-court.be | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
| full judgment | nl.const-court.be | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
| arrest 165/2025 of 11 Dec 2025, rolnummers 8309, 8313, 8314, 8315, 8316, 8319, petitions posted 28-30 Aug 2024; operative part: annuls art. 4 of the law of 18 Feb 2024, maintains effects until new legislation and at latest 31 Dec 2026, rejects the rest subject to B.30.2, B.36.2, B.45.2 to be remedied by 31 Dec 2026 | nl.const-court.be | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
Related cases
1 case in the record share parties, claims or a settlement with this one.
| Case | Court | Status |
|---|---|---|
| EPIS exclusion checks constitutional; café gaming and online lottery exemptions discriminatory | Grondwettelijk Hof / Cour constitutionnelle | Judgment entered |
Last checked against the sources on 14 Nov 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we correct the record with a dated note.