Germany Roll Out New Gambling Regulations to Strengthen Battle Against Illegal Operators

Back in March, the head of 16 German federal states got together to announce a new set of gambling rules for Germany, with new and substantial changes to gambling regulation. Not only will there be new laws imposed on the online casino sector, but the sports betting sector too. The German gambling regulations to come in 2021 include: 

• New licensing options for online casino games, to include poker, virtual slots and table games
• Extensions for all current licenses in lottery and sports betting
• The removal of the need for an internet and TV advertising license
• Enhanced player protection and advertising requirements
• A new gambling supervisory authority in Saxony-Anhalt
• A safer server which will allow the supervision of gambling
• The strengthening in legislation to combat illegal gambling
• The introduction of an additional 58 administrative offences with fines of up to €500,000.

Get with It or Lose It

New legislation may not come into force until 1^st July 2021, but it would seem one operator is already way ahead of schedule for being player compliant. BetSoft Gaming, a leading software operator have revealed they are ready for the upcoming gambling regulations in Germany, with Kai Botha, marketing manager at BetSoft stating:

“Operators are required to comply with player protections guidelines, addiction prevention measures and the terms of each vertical to be ready for July 2021 at the latest. Betsoft has ensured that standard obstacles to regulation have already been overcome insofar as the October/December 2020 requirements have been met. These changes were actioned promptly. Should any further changes or new requirements come into force, then we will meet those with the same speed and efficiency.”

General rules coming into effect also require operators to comply with the following legislation:

• Must have a registered office within the EU or EEA
• A website in German with all information in the German language
• Exclusion of illegal players; those identified as being under the legal age to gamble (under 18 years old) and procedures must be carried out to their entirety to ensure each player is over the age of 18.
• A deposit limit of €1K per month per player
• The introduction of what’s called a ‘panic button’ which leads to a 24-hour exclusion
• No advertising for unlicenced virtual sports or online poker

In addition to the rules already put before operators, when it comes to virtual slots, operators will be not be permitted to label them as ‘casino’ or ‘casino games’ and there mustn’t be an auto-play function offered. A spin must last at least 5 seconds and the stake must be limited to €1 per game by December 15^th this year! When it comes to poker, the virtual tables must be random and unless it has a banker, it won’t be permitted.