Belgium National Lottery Introduces Changes to its Lottery and Gambling Rules

Belgium’s National Lottery has introduced some changes to its lottery and gambling rules during this coronavirus crisis.

According to the new rules, the validity of winnings tickets will be 30 weeks instead of the existing 20 weeks. This change is in view of the possibility that a winner is unable to go outside or is even hospitalised.

Winners of sums of €100,000 can now contact the headquarters of the National Lottery in Rue Belliard in the European quarter and the company will send a representative to collect the ticket. Earlier, the winners had to present the ticket at the headquarters by themselves.

The new rules allow a player to play for the next ten draws all at once, which is a move intended to encourage players to stay inside as much as possible.

The company has decided to pay out a commission for each ticket that is sold to the owners of paper shops and other vendors. Previously commission was paid only when a vendor sells tickets for €100 or more in a week.

The Lottery will also distribute new posters explaining the rules on safety inside shops, and give a gift of €50 to pay for hand gel or gloves.

“We want to do everything we can to ensure that players are not obliged to go into a newspaper shop to collect their winnings in these times of a health crisis,” Joke Vermoere, a spokesperson of the Lottery, said.