Belgian Regulators Reports a Major Increase in Gambling During the Euros
According to Belgian regulators, the European Championships, which finished July 11th, caused a massive spike in gambling activity all across the continent. The Euros 2020 was a hugely successful broadcasting event, pulling in millions of viewers for every match; the final was the most viewed sporting event in England’s history. It’s no surprise that sports betting figures also increased due to the tournament’s popularity and its unpredictability. The Euros helped attract even more users to the industry in one of the biggest consumer spikes in decades.
A report conducted by Belgian regulators has shown increasing sports betting figures in correlation with the viewership of the 2020 European Championship. ©2427999/Pixabay
During the course of the tournament, a reported 37,000 new users signed up for the platform. Keep in mind, this is just one of many online sportsbooks, and there is a high likelihood of other platforms receiving a similar number of signups. When compared to previous statistics, the signup rate was four times greater than the month before. The build-up to the Euros was an exciting time for many users, and plenty of online platforms began offering new player bonuses to entice customers to their website.
The figures cover all kinds of online gambling, not just football betting. Another section of online gambling that has skyrocketed over the past few years is eSports. Competitive video gaming has become a lucrative franchise in America, Asia, and Europe, with the most skilled players of every nation representing their countries in large scale tournaments. The most common games are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, DOTA 2, Overwatch.
During the tournament, plenty of new players regularly signed into the applications and websites, but account creation figures peaked before the start of the competition. Over 112,000 new accounts were created the week prior to the European Championships, where Italy kicked off against Turkey in the Stadio Olimpico. Belgium has one of the most consistent players bases in all of Europe. A well-regulated industry allows for the natural growth of smaller firms, and an anti-monopoly attitude prevents market stagnation.
The tournament took place in June-July 2021, which was postponed the previous year due to the ongoing pandemic. It took place over the course of a month and took the whole of the footballing world by storm with plenty of existing fixtures and amazing odds for users to feast over. It’s heralded as a saving grace for the European betting industry, single-handedly breathing new life into the sector after the pandemic forced the closure of many land-based establishments.
The Belgium government has been doing all it can to reduce the risk of problem gambling during the arc and aftermath of the tournament. In April, they launched a new ‘Safer Play Campaign’ to combat unlicensed gambling setups and improve user safety and security. Belgium has been highlighted as one of the most progressive European countries. They’re constantly tackling new issues relating to gambling, such as banning all forms of video game loot boxes, as they viewed it as underage gambling.
So How Did Belgium do During the Euros?
It’s safe to say that Belgium will be disappointed with their European Championships performance. Going into the tournament, they were among the favorites to claim the title; their star-studded squad seemed like it had enough firepower to push them all the way to the end. Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and the immense Kevin De Bruyne all featured during their tournament run. Lukaku got off to a flying start scoring five goals during the group stages.
The round of 16 proved to be their first real test, up against a glittering Portuguese side who had equally world-class players among their ranks. Bruno Fernandes, Diego Jota, Bernardo Silva and the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo is a force not many can withstand. Against the 2016 winners, Belgium managed to grind out an intense 1-0 win against a relentless Portuguese side who just couldn’t find the back of the net. Some would argue the Belgians were very lucky to progress.
In the quarterfinals, however, their luck would run out. They faced Italy, who up to this point had only conceded one goal in the tournament. Despite a 2-1 score line, Belgium was thoroughly outplayed by an experienced Italian side, which would obviously win the tournament. Belgians will be extremely bitter with their team’s performance in the competition and can only hope they produce a better team effort when they head to Qatar for next year’s World Cup.
