The topic of legality and gambling has been with players for quite some time. So far they have mostly been operating in a gray area. So far, no one has been able to say specifically what is legal at all, because no one really finds their way around the regulations. More and more citizens are opting for an online casino. The reasons for this vary, but steadily increasing visitor numbers are being observed.
For gambling companies like https://wazamba.com/de/ on the internet, a lot will change in the future. After years of discussions, the federal states have finally agreed on a new state treaty on gambling. This will come into force next year. In this article we give an overview of it.
Exception of Schleswig-Holstein
Until now, Schleswig-Holstein had a unique selling point in Germany: gambling was legal here, in contrast to the other federal states. But this was only the case if you played in a casino that had a license from Schleswig-Holstein.
Today's regulations
Up to now, online gambling has been in a legal gray area in Germany. Only a handful of online casinos from Schleswig-Holstein had received licenses. The last amendment to the State Treaty on Gambling was intended to ban online gambling. More licenses should be distributed for sports betting.
Many operators resisted, since their freedom to provide services was to be severely restricted. The lawsuit went to the European Court of Justice and they actually won. The ECJ forced Germany to improve by overturning the passage in the State Treaty on Gambling.
Germany will make online gambling legal in 2021
Finally, gambling in online casinos should also become legal in Germany next year. The new state treaty on the new regulation of gambling comprises almost seventy pages and will come into force in the middle of the year. So far, Schleswig-Holstein is the only federal state where gambling is allowed. With the new regulations, the remaining federal states are also allowed to offer it.
Players have been waiting for this regulation for a very long time, especially as the web is flooded with legally unregulated casino sites. Although some of these sites are based in Europe, they are not always reputable. The government's new approach is to rather allow gambling at online casinos. At the same time, this allows better control and overview.
These are the new regulations
There will be a deposit limit in the future with the new gambling contract. All providers are also required to create a player account for each individual player. As soon as a player has deposited over 1000 euros per month, his user account will be blocked for further deposits. However, the limit does not apply to any winnings. You will not be counted.
A liberalization of the market is to be promoted by the new gaming contract. Another important factor is the protection of minors. This should be implemented better. A new "lock file" is therefore created. This guarantees the protection of all players and, above all, protection of young people. These rules then apply throughout Germany. Online casinos without a license are also punished more severely and prosecuted.
Overview of the new regulations:
Within one month, the maximum deposit amount for online casinos and sports betting is only 1,000 euros. Private providers will have more betting licenses available in the future. So far, their number is limited to 20 licenses per provider. The new lock file contains all possible data of a player. The gambling contract ensures better protection of minors and regulates addiction prevention. There will be significant restrictions on online live betting.
Players should be protected more in the future
Until now, a player could log in to multiple platforms at the same time. So he could take part in the game several times. In the future this will unfortunately be forbidden and no longer possible. Logging in at the same time on another platform will be blocked.
Unified lock file against gambling addiction
This new regulation is intended to provide special protection for people with potential for addiction. The future lock file will get all the data from each player. This should make detailed monitoring possible.
The data of all players will be recorded in the future lock files. This is to protect people with addictive behavior. In the future, all players in this lock file will be monitored in detail. There is also an exchange of player data internally between casinos. A simple control should be made possible by this measure. Especially important position in the surveillance will be the youth. These should be specially protected.
Evaluation of the new rules
In principle, the legalization of online casinos should be welcomed while at the same time improving the protection of minors and players. A gambler no longer has to act out his needs illegally. The German state also has a new source of income from the upcoming online casinos.
However, there has also been criticism of the design of some regulations. The new blocking file, which is intended to keep all players who become conspicuous, is legally questionable. The player's name must be revealed by the casinos and bookmakers. However, many attach particular importance to their data protection. You will think twice about registering with the online casino, because not everyone wants their name to end up with some authority. You certainly don't want to be blocked voluntarily either.
The design of the betting limits will also be difficult. For the implementation, the state would have to create a central register that tracks the stakes at each provider, whether a total limit of one thousand euros has been reached at all casinos. Otherwise, a player can just use the money just below his limit and play at several casinos in a row. The new regulation actually wanted to avoid that.
So that a player does not register in an online casino that does not have a German license, payment service providers should stay out of it. The German state had to forbid them to do this. Visa is already withdrawing from the gambling market in Germany. The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior has also given Paypal a corresponding order.
