Belgium’s gambling regulator has imposed new online weekly deposit limits to ensure gamblers don’t get carried away during their COVID-19 self-isolation.

On Monday, the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) announced that customers of locally licensed gambling sites would be limited to €500 in weekly deposits per player across all licensed sites. The new limit came shortly after the BGC issued advice to players on how to manage the temptation to gamble as a means of alleviating the boredom of social isolation.

There is no mechanism to increase the €500 limit but customers can apply to have a lower limit. This reduction, which will be applied immediately, can be requested through individual gambling sites. The limit can later be restored to the €500 maximum but the change won’t take effect for three days to ensure gamblers aren’t ‘chasing’ losses.

The BGC is currently focused on its online licensees’ activity following the mass shutdown of land-based gambling options – casinos, slots halls, cafés with betting kiosks, retail betting offices, even sales in newsagents – to prevent further transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Last week, the BGC extended this retail shutdown to April 19 following guidance from the government.