Former Head of Belgium’s Gambling Board Arrested for Hacking
The former chairman of Belgium’s gambling association has been arrested and charged with hacking and the use of malware, earning a 12-month suspended sentence. He appeared in front of a Brussels judiciary last week and was almost certainly guilty of the crimes he was accused of. Several misconduct breaches have been identified related to online malpractice; while he didn’t carry out these crimes, he ordered many of his subordinates to infiltrate networks on his behalf. Two of his IT staff have also been charged with suspended sentences.
Police have arrested and charged the former head of Belgium’s gambling commission with malpractice related to hacking incidents. The court have awarded him a 12-month suspended sentence for his troubles, and several tabloids have expressed their disappointment, claiming the verdict isn’t harsh enough. ©pixel2013/Pixabay
Peter Naessens was the head of the Belgian gambling commission only four years ago, and since his departure, his name has cropped up in media tabloids several times over the past few years. Before this case, he was also suspected of tax fraud; however, he wasn’t charged after a thorough investigation. Government departments are a tough machine to run and can only imagine the level of stress during working hours. While the job is difficult, there is no excuse for stealing other people’s information through hacking.
Naessens allegedly ordered his IT team to hack into the PC of the current head of the gambling commission, Etienne Marique. It’s unclear why he wanted to infiltrate his work device, but he was suspected of reviewing the government documents folder on the department intranet. Marique was unaware for a while but eventually realised his system had been breached and filed a formal complaint to the IT department. After reverse-engineering the hack, they discovered that Naessens was involved and formerly complained that he had unlawfully hacked government hardware.
This wasn’t the first time Marique had issued a complaint about Naessens, in 2019, he filed an official document detailing how he had stolen the department’s servers and sold them to an unknown party. This also relates to Naessens tax avoidance, and many suspect this incident directly correlates with his undeclared assets. The former head of the gambling commission and his IT team also conspired to copy his emails onto a USB stick but were unsuccessful as they never managed to get into the building.
Since the start of the decade, there have been plenty of disputes at the top end of the gambling commission. Even recently, Naessens himself complained about the handling of the casino reopenings, where the government issued rules that restricted land-based establishments. While it is mostly political, some are pushing for their own personal gain and the same power game can be found at/ the top of most government departments. The EU are also frequently involved in member politics, much to the frustration of some government officials.
How Will This Impact the Belgian Gambling Industry?
As of today, the Belgian online betting industry is exploding in popularity; much like the rest of Europe, the number of players has increased dramatically since the start of lockdown. Due to limited casino access, many users decided to switch to the online alternative, and the industry has never seen higher numbers. While the financial success is impressive, the concern for vulnerable users and problem gambling has risen due to increased players.
Belgian regulators are set to issue several new laws affecting the online betting industry; the current legal parameters are considered outdated and need modernising in line with the current tech-based landscape. While department disputes may affect the quality of leadership from the commission, there’s hope these issues can be resolved so they can closely monitor the sector and provide assistance and intervention when necessary. The Belgium betting industry is on the rise, and it’s not stopping its ascent any time soon.
