Important development in Germany! Schleswig-Holstein was the first German state to license online casino games.
Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state to license commercial operators to offer live casino and table games.
Tipico, BluBet, Austrian operator Cashpoint and Skill on Net were all granted licenses to operate online casino games in the state on September 18.
Licensees will be required to adopt various player protection requirements, the state's Department of the Interior said.“
By allowing an attractive online offer, we want to prevent players from abusing illegal offers if, for example,
they want to play the games they know from online casinos, and thus strengthen legal gambling,” says Minister of the Interior Sabine Sütterlin- Waack.
German states granted licensing powers for igaming
Operators can obtain a license to offer online slot machines and poker in Germany through the federal gaming regulator Gemeinsamen
Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), which was established in July 2022 to replace the Saxony-Anhalt state administration office.
But each of the sixteen German states has the option to grant licenses for online casino table games, independently of the gambling regulator.
States were given this authority from July 1, 2021 as part of the State Treaty on Gambling (GlüNeuRStv).
The industry is celebrating access to online table games
Tipico's igaming director Christian Heins took to his LinkedIn page to celebrate the license, especially in his 'home state' of Schleswig-Holstein, adding that he is looking to have discussions with casino table game providers.
The Austrian gambling trade body Österreichische Vereinigung für Wetten und Glücksspiel (OVWG) welcomed the move, noting that a “safe and controlled regulatory framework” will help minimize risks for players.
“The adoption of these online casino games could now become a model for other German states,” the report said.
Germany's illegal market
Germany is struggling with a growing black market due to regulatory delays and advertising restrictions on licensed operators.
The GGL estimates that the black market represented 4% of the sector's total GGR in 2023 (including land-based products), but industry stakeholders argued that this was not an accurate representation of the online black market. Local trade association DOCV believes that illegal sites make up around 20% of German online GGR.
An important development!
Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state to license commercial operators to offer live casino and table games.
Tipico, BluBet, Austrian operator Cashpoint and Skill on Net were all granted licenses to operate online casino games in the state on September 18.
Licensees will be required to adopt various player protection requirements, the state's Department of the Interior said.“
By allowing an attractive online offer, we want to prevent players from abusing illegal offers if, for example,
they want to play the games they know from online casinos, and thus strengthen legal gambling,” says Minister of the Interior Sabine Sütterlin- Waack.
German states granted licensing powers for igaming
Operators can obtain a license to offer online slot machines and poker in Germany through the federal gaming regulator Gemeinsamen
Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), which was established in July 2022 to replace the Saxony-Anhalt state administration office.
But each of the sixteen German states has the option to grant licenses for online casino table games, independently of the gambling regulator.
States were given this authority from July 1, 2021 as part of the State Treaty on Gambling (GlüNeuRStv).
The industry is celebrating access to online table games
Tipico's igaming director Christian Heins took to his LinkedIn page to celebrate the license, especially in his 'home state' of Schleswig-Holstein, adding that he is looking to have discussions with casino table game providers.
The Austrian gambling trade body Österreichische Vereinigung für Wetten und Glücksspiel (OVWG) welcomed the move, noting that a “safe and controlled regulatory framework” will help minimize risks for players.
“The adoption of these online casino games could now become a model for other German states,” the report said.
Germany's illegal market
Germany is struggling with a growing black market due to regulatory delays and advertising restrictions on licensed operators.
The GGL estimates that the black market represented 4% of the sector's total GGR in 2023 (including land-based products), but industry stakeholders argued that this was not an accurate representation of the online black market. Local trade association DOCV believes that illegal sites make up around 20% of German online GGR.
An important development!
