As from the beginning of 2009, the Belgium National Lottery will be offering draw games such as Lotto, Keno or the Euromillions to net surfers. The announcement was made by Didier Reynders, the Finance Minister, to the daily Sud-Presse.

“It’s undeniable that money games are booming on the Internet. Well, presently, most of the online gaming companies are located overseas,” noted the Minister. “It’s impossible to supervise them, verify if there is any rip-off going on, or if players are at risk when playing on these websites.”

“On the other had, if the National Lottery comes in, which should happen at the beginning of 2009, this would enable players to play from home without taking any risks,” Reynders added.

Safeguards should be put in place in order to avoid any addiction, like a maximum bet system. Players will be allowed to bet a certain amount of money per month. Once this amount is debited from their account, players will have to wait the next month to be able to bet again. “This might sound better than real gaming houses where you could be spending your whole salary in one go without any restriction”, noted the Minister.

As for underage persons, they should be warned by a system “similar to the ones already installed on pornographic websites. But it will be the parents’ responsibility to restrict the internet access and prevent their children from spending too much time on the internet without keeping an eye on them,” Reynders. “Of course, a whole campaign will be launched to inform operators and users.”

Moreover, the National Lottery should participate in the Mondomillions Lottery project under consideration by the Française des Jeux.