Belgian police gambled online using private citizens’ data

Belgian authorities are investigating allegations that dozens of local police officers used private citizens’ personal information to register online gambling accounts.

On Saturday, Belgian news outlet Het Nieuwsblad reported that dozens of officers at the Antwerp Police Service were under investigation for using private citizens’ data to open online gambling accounts, thereby allowing the officers to bypass rules prohibiting police from engaging in such activities.

The chicanery was reportedly uncovered from an unrelated probe into allegations that certain Antwerp police officers were extorting money from illegal immigrants. The probe discovered that one officer had made multiple bank transactions with online gambling sites.

Further digging uncovered similar payments by roughly 30 officers at the Antwerp Police Service, who reportedly engaged in online gambling from their police desks during workplace hours.