Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Shows Progress, But Challenges Remain
The number of criminal charges filed against illegal gambling operators in Germany has decreased significantly in the past year. According to the latest report from the Joint Gambling Authority of the Länder (GGL), the authority filed 23 criminal charges last year, a sharp drop from the 104 filed the previous year. Despite this progress, the fight against illegal gambling remains a major challenge, according to GGL head Ronald Benter.
“Our measures are having an impact. Nevertheless, combating illegal offerings remains challenging and requires perseverance and close cooperation with national and international partners,” Benter stated.
Geo-Blocking and Google Ban Prove Effective
The authority, based in Halle (Saale), initiated 231 prohibition proceedings against unauthorized providers and advertising partners last year and reviewed approximately 1,800 websites. More than 1,300 sites were made inaccessible to users in Germany, largely through geo-blocking measures. This involves technically blocking access to illegal offerings from within Germany.
Furthermore, since autumn 2024, only providers licensed in Germany have been permitted to advertise on Google. This has led to a significant reduction in the visibility of illegal offerings.
Illegal Market Remains Sizeable, Legal Gambling Grows
The market share of illegal online offerings is still estimated at around 25 percent. The GGL has identified more than 850 German-language gambling sites operating without a license. The goal is to make the business model of these providers unattractive in the long term, Benter explained.
In the legal gambling market, gross gaming revenue – that is, the losses of players – rose to around 14.4 billion euros. This represents an increase of approximately five percent compared to the previous year. The providers regulated by the GGL generated approximately four billion euros of this revenue.
A success in player protection was the judicial confirmation of the “Markers of Harm” – a system developed by the GGL for the early detection of problematic gambling behavior. The Mainz Administrative Court declared its use permissible.
Increased Monitoring and Cooperation Planned
For the current year, the authority announced, among other things, stronger technical monitoring and more intensive cooperation with domestic and foreign authorities.
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