Belgium is not a country known for its casinos as say America is. That being said they do have a few notable ones. The main thing you need to know about casinos in Belgium is how strict they are. To get in the door you have to show proof of ID, either in the form of a passport or a Belgian ID document. Your photo and fingerprints will then be taken and only after all of that will you be allowed to walk through the door. There are only nine full casinos in the whole of Belgium, the rest only offer gaming machines and are thus classed as gaming halls, not casinos.
Casino Viage in Brussels
The Casino Viage, located in Brussels is the only real casino in the city, offering both gaming machines and table games with live dealers. No other venues offer both of these and are thus only gaming halls. The casino is located in the centre of Brussels, near the European Union in a beautiful old building which was once the Galeries Anspach. The casino has 375 slot and video poker machines, and a choice of a number of table games. The Viage prides itself in being a relaxed, fun place, but do not be fooled by its approach. The Viage is classy and beautifully designed with a number of fine restaurants to choose from. The casino is not open 24 hours a day, but rather closes at 4am, opening again at 12pm for the slots and 2pm for the live table games.
Casino de Spa
Casino de Spa is the world’s oldest casino, built in 1763. The town of Spa in Belgium is the original place that people used to travel to looking for restorative and curative waters in historic times, hence the well known noun today. Due to the large amounts of people and aristocrats travelling to the area for the waters, the idea bloomed to create a number of gaming halls to entertain them. This idea then spread throughout the world, and thus was the birth of the modern day casino. Casino de Spa is one of the original casinos built during that era, and thus lays claim to being the oldest casino in the world. Live table games including two beautiful antique original French Roulette tables can be played every night along with other table games. Casino slots and other gaming machines are also available. The casino also has a fine dining restaurant that is open until 2am on weekends.
Casino de Namur
The casino in Namur, or Casino de Namur is a mid size casino located in the town of Namur at the foot of the ancient castle, along the banks of the river Meuse. The original building is not that old, built in the early twentieth century and opened in 1914. Originally two separate buildings were built, connected by a covered gallery that ran through gardens. One of the buildings was sadly destroyed by fire in 1980, but was rebuilt and reopened in 1986. Today the gallery and gardens have been replaced by another building, making the complex one big building incorporating the one remaining old one. An independent hotel occupies the newer building while the actual casino remains in the historic Building A. The casino offers 168 slot machines but a much smaller amount of live table games. There aren’t any lesser known games on offer; the casino prefers to focus on well known ones such as Poker, Roulette and Blackjack. Slots open at 10 am and table games at 3pm. The casino closes at 5am.