German gaming authority receives new tasks
For three days, gambling has been officially allowed in Germany for the first time, including online casinos. The disadvantage, however, is that many casino games are prohibited and that there are many regulations due to the high level of player safety. Compliance with the regulations is the responsibility of the supervisory authority, which is based in Halle. On the one hand, this authority receives new tasks and, on the other hand, the start of its activity is delayed.
Supervisory authority receives expanded tasks
The players will not be happy about this news: The supervisory authority may intervene in the future if, for example, a player exceeds his monthly stake limit. In order to protect the player in such a situation, every gaming provider is prohibited from accepting further payments. In addition, the provider may no longer send its customers any advertising - at least such consequences are possible. It is also considered that the supervisory authority may prohibit a financial institution from forwarding the desired payment.
A weaker form consists in forbidding a player only certain casino games or stipulating which provider he can continue to play with. For now, however, players don't have to worry that this will happen. These tasks are only assigned to the supervisory authority when it is fully operational. Based on current information, this does not appear to be the case until 2023 . There are currently only 12 employees working in the authority, which is why many activities cannot yet be started.
At the same time, this means that the gaming authority in Halle has not yet issued any licenses. In principle, the authority is not yet in a position to control the players and their stakes. As long as the authority is not yet fully active, the interior ministries of the federal states must take over the controls .
Online casinos and gaming facilities on site are prepared
It has not yet been announced how the local online casinos and gaming facilities will react to such news. It is possible that many will be disappointed. After all, the casinos and gambling halls on site have made a large investment in setting up a control system. With this control system, every player is checked before entering the gaming hall - on the one hand, whether he is blocked and, on the other hand, with regard to his previous bets.
But the online casinos that are applying for a license in Germany have also done a lot. They have already changed their platforms and point out to German players that they have to observe a betting limit. In addition, most of the online gambling providers have made the effort to eliminate the prohibited games . Most of the time, only slots, poker or sports betting appear on a German Internet address. Roulette, baccarat and blackjack may no longer be offered.
In the future, the authorities in Halle will also check whether the regulations regarding the permitted games are being adhered to. If a violation is found , the provider could receive severe penalties.
Monitoring of the branch is scheduled
In the future, the German gaming authority will closely monitor the gaming market and also conduct research. All of this is also for the safety of the players. Only if the market is observed very closely can the providers be differentiated from one another. And only in this way is it possible to issue a license to a reputable provider while another online casino does not receive one. This increases security for the players.
According to the latest reports, online casinos must expect test purchases in the future. This task is also intended to check whether all other regulations are being adhered to. For example, a certain length of time was set for a game in Germany and several games may not be played at the same time. These rules can be checked very well with test purchases.
Such a strict procedure leads to illegal gambling providers being recognized immediately. They therefore have no chance of offering their services in Germany. The only question is who will review the numerous gaming providers by 2023 . It is also questionable how the players can be checked. It has not yet been announced whether there is already a central register that the online casinos and gaming venues can access on site. If this were not the case, the rules of the German State Treaty on Gambling could not be complied with.
Can players switch to EU-licensed providers?
Every online casino has to indicate on its side which authority it was licensed by. So everyone can check in advance which licenses are available . However, if there are too few online casinos due to the lack of licenses for Germany, the players could of course switch to another casino. In this case, the channeling of the gambling would be jeopardized. Eventually, players could turn to an illegal or unsafe casino.
Therefore, it must always be ensured that a license is available. Likewise, a player must always be given the chance to set their own limit or to block themselves. A gambling addiction notice and help with gambling addiction should also always be available. Then nothing stands in the way of safe play.
