LMS Rebuke Schleswig-Holstein Online Casinos for Irresponsible Advertising Practices

The State Media Authority of Saarland (LMS), one of Germany’s fourteen state media institutions has taken a firm stance with two market-leading online casinos, both of which hold gambling licences from the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The licences allow the online casinos to legally advertise on television in Germany but with restrictions that limit the volume of gambling advertisements on air, the times of day they air and, in the case of Saarland, to not specifically target players who live in Saarland as it is illegal there.

 Pushing The Limits

The LMS leadership feel that these two unnamed online casinos have crossed the line when it comes to safe advertising standards, postulating that their actions could harm the regions Responsible Gambling initiatives.

Director of the LMS, Ruth Meyer, said:

"The LMS has therefore decided to take steps so that the goal of combating gambling addiction, particularly in corona times, is not jeopardized by Schleswig-Holstein going it alone under the current State Treaty on Gaming."

The LMS pointed out that in terms of the advertising volumes and times of day these casinos have shown no-consideration for the laws pertaining to either.

Real money online casino adverts are aired with high replay rates during popular programming and are even aired during times that are meant to child-friendly programming.

 What does “Schleswig-Holstein going it alone” mean?

Much like with US regulations Germany is divided into independent states. When it came to ratifying and adhering to the prohibition on online gambling only thirteen of the sixteen states was on-board.

Schleswig-Holstein is a very progressive state and has offered online casino and sports betting licencing despite resistance from other states. However, the fourth edition of the State Treaty on Gambling is currently up for ratification which would see online gambling allowed by all German states but with severe restrictions.

These restrictions will include a maximum slot spin stake of €1 where the spin must last for 5 seconds, maximum deposits limits of €1000 and the option to limit table games to either state-run casinos or a maximum number of international operators equal to the number of land based-casinos in the region to name but a few.

Should the fourth edition of the State Treaty on Gambling be ratified it will be legally fixed in place from 1 July 2022 until 31 December 2028, at which time any participating state can withdraw from the Treaty after a notice period of one year.

LMS and other state governing bodies see these Schleswig-Holstein licenced casinos as pushing the boundaries of the what is allowed as a way of maximising player acquisitions and revenues before the July 1st deadline, even if it puts adolescents at risk in the process.