A new national regulatory authority on gambling has been announced in Germany. The country’s 16 federal stateshave agreed to thenew treatywhich will allowoperators to offer online casino and poker, however GermanLawmakers Approve ControversialGambling Regulations.
The following rules below must be approved byeach state parliamentand theEuropean Commission:
- Online casinos and online poker will become legal in Germany on July 1, 2021.
- Slots capped at €1 ($1.10) per spin, monthly deposit limit of €1,000 ($1,100): Operators have also been warned about they wot´be allowed to advertise between 6am and 9pm. Slots games must be offered separately from table games. No jackpots or autoplay features are allowed, either. Veto powers will be given on a state-by-state basis to decide if table games should be allowed. States will also have the option to allow their lottery to have a monopoly on this sector.
- Only online sports betting are currently allowed in the country.
Previously, it has been illegal to gamble online on casino games in the majority of Germany’s states, with online casinos outlawed. However, citizens of Germany are able to wager at online casino sites outside of the Western European country and over the last ten years, Germany has faced an uphill climb to stop the spread of illegal gambling and black market providers.
The announcement, which was made today in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein is expected to bring news of regulation and legislation on casino games, slots and poker over the coming months. The new authority will also introduction strict safeguarding laws against underage gambling and ensuring protection for vulnerable people against addiction.
“States will formulate and enforce regulatory and technical requirements and the new legislation will be the basis for a sufficiently attractive online gambling offering, to ensure the channelling of gambling into the legal market,” German ministerial official Dirk Schrodter said.
Although the full details of the new regulatory body and what it will include are not yet finalised, it is expected that it will outline restrictions such as a blackout window of closure each day, time delays between accessing certain casino and betting providers and a watershed time period whereby TV commercials will not be allowed.
Written by Mike Granson