SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
DSWV – Germany’s sports betting trade association has repeated its black market warning to the Glücksspielbehörde (GGL) – Germany’s new federal regulator for gambling.
The trade association maintains that GGL must reform the existing legislation and market rules of the Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty (GlüNeuRStv) regime, which have been enforced since 1 July 2021.
DSWV has previously sent its market recommendations to the GGL, endorsing the federal regulator to adopt all “necessary enforcement instruments that are available” to eliminate visible black market threats.
The GGL has been further recommended to revoke the GlüNeuRStv regime’s sports wagering product and in-play restrictions that have weakened the regulated market’s offering to consumers – which DSWV states have aided black market operators by “channeling players out of the legal market”.
DSWV President Mathias Dahms explained: “The black market in gambling and sports betting has reached gigantic proportions in recent years. We were able to identify more than 400 unlicensed websites where customers from Germany can easily register and play. And that might just be the tip of the iceberg.”
In addition, DSWV has called for GGL to recommend no changes to Germany federal advertising code, allowing licensed operators to continue advertising on traditional media formats.
The ability to advertise was deemed as a necessary provision, allowing licensed operators to inform consumers of the GlüNeuRStv legal offering.
“Expenditure on gambling advertising has risen steadily over the same period, from €33 million in 2010 to €436 million in 2019. The assumption that a high volume of advertising will inevitably lead to an increase in problematic gaming behavior is therefore incorrect.” DSWV explained
The warning comes as the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) hosts Germany’s first “Gambling Addiction Treatment Day”.
DSWV members support BZgA’s initiative that aims to promote gambling addiction and disorders as a major public health issue across Germany’s federal states.
Protecting German consumers, all DSWV members have connected their platforms and databases to the independently monitored OASIS player blocking system.
