The white list of poker sites are PokerStars.be, Partouche.be and Casino777.be, which is affiliated with the Casino770.com together with four casino websites and two sportsbooks. Two sites that are not on the Belgian’s white list, PartyPoker.com and iPoker still allow players in Belgium to wager real money, stating that this list of permitted operators is ‘unenforceable’. PokerStars has revealed that although the rake for Belgian players will not change, VIP rewards might be altered to make for increased operational costs.

Under the new Gaming Act, released in January 2011, gambling and betting operations are still essentially prohibited, but licensing systems provide for exceptions. With this Act, operators from other EU nations wishing to operate in the Belgian online gaming market, are required to hold a license for land-based gambling operations in Belgium, and also to permanently relocate their within the Belgian territory. Essentially this means that foreign operators which have valid licenses from other EU member states would still need a land-based gambling establishment license in Belgium before they can start offering their services online.

It seems however, that the Gambling Act failed to resolve issues related to the taxation of winnings as existing regulations remain ambiguous regarding whether cash rewards are considered as taxable income or not. 

Belgium joins Denmark and Spain to become the third European country set to regulate online poker in 2012.