The Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Germany’s new federal gambling regulator, promised to remain vigilant when licensing online gambling content and shared its plans to keep cracking down on illegal operators until the black market becomes unsustainable. The authority’s executive directors spoke about their vision in a new statement.
The GGL Now Controls Gambling in Germany
The GGL is now officially responsible for online gambling in Germany, as previously announced. The regulator is, therefore, now responsible for ensuring that the rules outlined in the GlüNeuRStv are followed. Boasting a team of 75 as of January, the new regulator plans to bolster its manpower to a target goal of 104 by the end of 2023.
Ronald Benter, co-executive director of the regulator, used the opportunity to thank the 16 federal states in Germany, which helped with the smooth transition of power from the previous authority to the GGL.
Benter also thanked the Darmstadt Regional Council for laying the groundwork for gambling regulation during the interim administrative period. The GGL co-executive director said that now that the GGL is fully functional, it is time to work.
Benter Talks Licensing
Under the new regulatory regime, the regulator has so far handed out 38 licensed sports betting licenses and 22 online gaming licenses.
There are many more applications that are not whitelisted yet. For reference, the GGL noted that it received a total of 78 applications for online gaming and poker but has so far whitelisted only 25 of them.
According to Benter, many operators do not submit individual games for inspection by the regulator, as required by German regulations. He noted that operators that fail to provide the required information will continue to be barred from the German market.
Benter also said that by the end of 2022, the GGL had approved 600 of the 3,500 individual online gambling game applications.
Schwanke Vows to Make Things Hard for Illegal Operators
Meanwhile, Benjamin Schwanke, the other executive director of the GGL, said that the regulator plans to double down on its efforts in the war on illegal gambling. As per the GlüNeuRStv, the director wants to turn Germany into a heavily supervised market where no regulation breach is tolerated.
In the market envisioned by Schwanke, operators must comply with the tech requirements of the LUGAS and follow the rules.
In addition, the GGL will employ everything at its disposal to curb unlicensed gambling. The regulator will use IP blocks when needed and will take matters to court if the need should arise. Schwanke’s end game is to make Germany an unsustainable market for illegal companies.