German legislation to address online casino industry

German leaders have begun to make necessary changes to the Interstate Treaty on Gambling in light of the country’s emerging online casino industry.

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n 1 November, 16 German state leaders met to decide on the best way to modernise their current gambling laws to accommodate the growing online sector.

The country’s lawmakers have been forced take steps to address the issue after the current legislation was declared unconstitutional by the EU Court of Justice.

The German Prime Minister’s Conference of Warnemunde focused on how to best assess and report on the enforcement of online gambling offers, sports betting, and online casinos, and how these could be sustainably improved in the future.

The conference also evaluated whether the establishment of a new public agency could contribute to supporting enforcement in these areas.

Some changes are already being put in place: the previous limitation of 20 licences for private sports betting providers has been repealed and in future licences shall be granted on the basis of minimum quality standards.

Furthermore, gambling regulators were asked to consider changing the monthly stake-limit of E1,000 to a monthly loss limit of the same amount.

These agreements are subject to further change, but commentators suggest they will serve to align German gambling legislation with that of its EU counterparts.