An important aspect in the new regulations are the so-called limits. There will be restrictions on the maximum amount of stakes in the future. A deposit limit per player, which applies to all providers across the board, is also unavoidable according to the State Treaty on Gaming. Nevertheless, there are still casinos that operate without limits, which is probably also related to the fact that the implementation of the State Treaty on Gambling lags enormously.
The most important facts about gambling in Germany at a glance:
- Online casinos need licenses in Germany
- Germany regulates gambling anew and couples the award of licenses to strict rules
- The new State Treaty on Gambling is supported by all German states
- A separate gambling authority in Saxony-Anhalt will be responsible for awarding licenses and auditing providers in the future
- However, there are still massive problems with the implementation, so that the State Treaty on Gambling cannot really be implemented at present
Once again, politicians in Germany have managed to delay a major project. This upsets and unsettles players and providers alike. Without licenses, one is unsure whether gambling in the casino is now illegal or legal. We will take a closer look at the issue in the following.
The gambling contract: What was valid until now?
In the future, Germany will allow providers of online casinos or stationary arcade operators to obtain an official gambling license. The new State Treaty on Gambling specifies exactly which requirements must be met in order for a license to be granted.
Previously, only Schleswig-Holstein had a gambling law, which was introduced back in 2012. With this law, online casinos could indeed obtain a license from Schleswig-Holstein. However, only those who lived or stayed there were allowed to play. Before each visit to such casinos, players had to agree that they resided in Schleswig-Holstein. Those who clicked on the button were allowed to gamble. Due to the difficulty of tracking this more precisely, this grew into a legal gray area.
Since online gambling can be operated from anywhere in the world, it must be stated that national laws are not sufficient. For this reason, there are also gambling licenses in other countries, such as Malta or Gibraltar. Many providers had themselves licensed here and also attracted German players. The fact that this procedure is not illegal was argued with the freedom of services within the EU.
Casino providers in Germany must adhere to this in the future
In order to pave the way to legality, player protection must improve – that was the clear stance of the politicians, which runs like a red thread through the entire State Treaty on Gaming. To do justice to this, there are numerous new restrictions designed to prevent players from gambling away their fortunes in the shortest possible time.
The following rules and measures have attracted particular attention from operators and players alike:
- 1 Euro Rule
- 5 seconds rule
- 1,000 Euro deposit limit
- OASIS blocking file
- Ban on live offers
- Overview of winnings and losses
- 24 hour panic button
Each of these points have certain rules and regulations – so we will see in the near future what gamblers will have to get used to if they want to venture a game at the virtual casino.