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Two Years of Cross-State German Gambling and New GGL Seal of Approval
By Shane Addinall Jul 03, 2023 IndustryThe cross-state German Gambling Authority, GGL, presented a report on the growth of legal gambling in the country, the regulator's safer gambling actions, and announced its first Seal of Approval.The Joint Gaming Authority of the States (GGL) in Germany released its first annual report, looking back at the country's first two years of legal cross-state gambling. The market review included a comparison of pre and post-pandemic revenues, whitelisted casino sites, the war on unregulated gambling, and celebrated the launch of its inaugural Seal of Approval.
Join us as we take an abbreviated look at the statistics presented and the safer gambling actions taken by the GGL to determine if we agree that they are steering the market in the right direction.
International Games of Chance and Licensing
The GGL has been hard at work in its first year as the cross-state gambling regulator, ensuring that all viable gaming sites are licensed to grow the number of sites legally able to offer games of chance, allow players choice and variety, and increase market channelisation.
The market is proving to be an attractive one, as the data shows:
- As of June 2023, there are 142 licensed online gambling operators.
- The GGL is reviewing an additional 45 applications.
- GGL licensed brands contribute €3.5 billion in legal gambling revenue.
In addition to its strong online casino offering, the German market boasts vibrant betting, poker and lottery markets worth a combined annual income of just over €3.1 billion.
The Gaming Authority also hosts a whitelist of all regulated operators on their website. This list is updated monthly and remains an invaluable resource for players looking to play at regulated venues.
Protecting Players and Combating Illegal Gambling
At the forefront of the GGLs objectives is ensuring a safe gambling environment for German citizens – a position they have successfully defended in Germany’s administrative and higher courts.
GGL board member Ronald Benter expressed his satisfaction with the enforcement of laws protecting youth and at-risk community members, saying:
Quote“We can look back on a successful first half of 2023. We will continue along the path of consistent legal enforcement in the issuing of permits and supervision. The first court decisions confirm this. At the same time, we remain in dialogue with the industry regarding new challenges.”
It will be interesting to see what comes of the industry dialogues he referred to. Ideally, Germany would participate in international taskforces as we have seen in Sweden, the Netherlands, and other jurisdictions, which realise that unlicensed operators will require cross-border cooperation to address.
Board member Benjamin Schwanke added:
Quote“We are successfully working together with all the key players in the fight against illegal gambling. The judgment of the Munich Administrative Court in the spring shows that we are not powerless against it.”
Schwanke pointed to a court judgment in the spring that demonstrated the authority's effectiveness in addressing black market casino bonus offers and advertising that did not meet the regulator’s high standards.
GGL Seal of Approval for Licensed Operators
As part of their ongoing battle to help players easily recognise legal games of chance and the sites that provide them, the GGL launched its first-ever Seal of Approval on 1 July 2023.
In their official report, the GGL notes:
Quote“In this way, the providers can fulfil their obligation to provide information on the start pages of their homepages that they have a state license and that they comply with the strict requirements of the State Treaty on Gambling on player protection.”
The hope is that this easy-to-identity badge, combined with its secure link back to the licensing information of the relevant casino, will assist players in avoiding black market sites illegally targeting the German gambling community.
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