Lawmakers in Germany have approved gambling regulations, set to come into force from July 2021.
The legislation must now be ratified by the country’s 16 Federal States, before going to the European Commission.
‘Business as usual’
The new regulations will expand what is allowed in Germany iGaming for the first time. Sports betting, as it already is, will remain legal. Meanwhile, both online poker and casino will be legalised.
But as was the case before, there are still multiple restrictions. According to reports in the media, little has been altered from the previous proposed Treaty. Players will still be subjected to a €1,000 monthly deposit, with in-play betting limited to the final result and next goalscorer.
The proposed advertising blackout will also stay in place. Between 6am and 9pm each day, operators won’t be allowed to promote themselves via broadcast media. This move has been criticised within Germany before, with VAUNET being one such disapprover. The media company believes that this will both fail to channel players to regulated brands and be costly for revenue too.
Temporary regulations to remain in place until 2021
The new legislation will replace the current temporary laws, which are effective until next July. These were introduced in January 2020.
As of yet, Hesse – the state responsible for accepting licence applications – still hasn’t handed out its first of these. Last month, it said that 30 applications had been received – with 20 more operators signalling their intentions to apply.
A new regulatory body to be formed
A new gambling regulator will be established in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse were all reportedly interested in hosting this body.
