Regulation Changes

The progress of legalising online gaming across Germany has been patchy, but there was a breakthrough on 12 March 2020 when the latest Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV) was approved by the German heads of state. It acts as a compromise between states wanting the market to be open and those wanting gambling to be more restricted.

This treaty will open up the online market to all products and verticals, specifically poker and virtual slots, with the legislation set to come into force on 1 July 2021. It will therefore significantly liberalise the market, subject to strict conditions concerning player protection.

Note that online sports betting is already permitted and is largely unaffected by these developments as the legal basis for sports betting falls under the current treaty, which is known as IST2012/2020 (or the Third Amending Interstate Treaty) which came into effect on 1 January 2020.