On this page 6
- Gambling support website sees a sharp rise in visitors
- Did the 2026 World Cup contribute to the increase?
- Nearly 30,000 visitors does not mean 30,000 people with gambling problems
- Greater awareness could also be a positive development
- Where can people find gambling support in Belgium?
- Gambling regulation alone is not enough
Belgian gambling support website Gokhulp.be recorded almost 30,000 visitors in July 2026, more than double the previous month's figure and nearly three times as many as in July 2025. The sharp increase coincided with a summer packed with major sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup. While the figures raise questions about gambling-related harm and sports betting, they also suggest that more people are seeking information about gambling risks and available support.
Gambling support website sees a sharp rise in visitors
Interest in gambling support services increased significantly in Flanders during the summer of 2026.
Figures obtained by Flemish MP Freya Perdaens (N-VA) through a parliamentary question show that nearly 30,000 visitors accessed Gokhulp.be in July alone.
The Dutch-language platform provides information about gambling-related risks, self-assessment tools and confidential online support for people concerned about their gambling behaviour.
The figures, reported by Belgian news agency Belga on 11 October, reveal a striking increase in traffic.
Compared with June 2026, visitor numbers more than doubled. Compared with July 2025, they almost tripled.
According to Perdaens, the increase highlights the importance of making gambling support services visible and accessible, particularly during major sporting competitions.
Did the 2026 World Cup contribute to the increase?
The timing of the increase is difficult to ignore.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup took place throughout June and July, while the Tour de France provided another major sporting event during the same period.
Large competitions attract enormous audiences and create additional opportunities for sports betting.
For some people, placing a bet may become part of the experience of watching football. What begins as an occasional activity can develop into more frequent gambling, particularly when players begin increasing their stakes or trying to recover previous losses.
Ronny Willemen, a gambling support professional associated with Gokhulp.be, told VRT that the platform had previously experienced similar increases during major sporting events.
These included football World Cups, European Championships, the Olympic Games and the Tour de France.
A comparable pattern was observed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although the increase recorded in July 2026 was considerably larger.
Nevertheless, the figures require careful interpretation.
A rise in visits to a gambling support website during a major sporting event does not establish that the event directly caused an increase in gambling addiction.
The available statistics do not explain why each visitor accessed the platform or whether they had recently participated in sports betting.
Nearly 30,000 visitors does not mean 30,000 people with gambling problems
The exceptional increase in traffic is significant, but website visits should not be confused with confirmed cases of gambling addiction.
People access support websites for many different reasons.
Some may be concerned about their own gambling habits. Others may be looking for information about the risks of sports betting or seeking advice for a family member.
A person visiting Gokhulp.be may simply want to understand the warning signs of problematic gambling.
Furthermore, accessing the website does not automatically mean that someone has registered for treatment or requested professional counselling.
To assess whether gambling-related harm is becoming more widespread, additional statistics would be needed.
These might include the number of people registering for support programmes, requests for professional assistance and changes in the severity of problems reported by participants.
For now, the July figures primarily demonstrate a substantial increase in interest in gambling-related information and assistance.
Greater awareness could also be a positive development
Although the increase raises concerns, it may also reflect something encouraging: more people appear to know where they can find reliable gambling advice.
Recognising that gambling is becoming difficult to control is not always straightforward.
Some people continue gambling despite financial problems, while others struggle with the amount of time they spend betting or feel compelled to recover their losses.
For those individuals, accessing a confidential support website can be an important first step.
Gokhulp.be provides a free, anonymous self-help programme for people who want to reduce or stop gambling.
Participants can set personal goals, keep a gambling diary and complete exercises designed to identify risky situations.
Those who want additional assistance can also receive online guidance from a professional counsellor.
The service is designed to make it easier to seek help without immediately having to arrange an in-person appointment.
The challenge is ensuring that people who need further support can access it before their problems become more serious.
Where can people find gambling support in Belgium?
Belgium has several specialised services offering assistance to people experiencing gambling-related difficulties.
Dutch-speaking residents can use Gokhulp.be or contact De Druglijn, which provides confidential information, advice and referrals for gambling-related concerns.
De Druglijn can be reached by telephone on 078 15 10 20, with additional support available through its website.
French-speaking residents can visit Joueurs Aide en Ligne, a free and anonymous service developed by the Belgian non-profit organisation Le Pélican.
Its 12-week programme allows participants to work independently or receive online support from a psychologist.
The free SOS Jeux helpline, 0800 35 777, is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
People who want to prevent themselves from accessing regulated gambling platforms can request voluntary exclusion through Belgium's EPIS system, managed by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
These services are not only intended for people experiencing severe gambling problems. They can also help those who want to take preventive action when gambling begins to affect their finances, relationships or daily life.
Gambling regulation alone is not enough
The increase in Gokhulp.be's visitor numbers highlights an important issue in Belgium's approach to gambling regulation.
Protecting players requires more than restricting advertising, monitoring operators or enforcing gambling limits.
Reliable information, early intervention and accessible support services are equally important.
This also connects with the wider discussion about gambling behaviour in Belgium. As we explained in our article on Belgium's €36.3 billion in gambling stakes and the need for stronger player protection, financial statistics alone cannot adequately describe the risks faced by individual players.
Understanding those risks also requires information about playing frequency, spending patterns and the use of support services.
From CasinoRating's perspective, effective player protection depends on a combination of independent regulatory oversight, responsible gambling measures and accessible professional assistance.
The increasing visibility of services such as Gokhulp.be is therefore relevant, even if the visitor statistics do not establish whether gambling addiction itself has become more widespread.
Nearly 30,000 visits to a gambling support website in one month should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a worsening addiction crisis. But the figures are a reminder that reliable advice and confidential help must remain readily available, particularly when major sporting events bring additional attention to betting.
