SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), Germany’s Federal Gambling Authority, has announced that it will conclude its comprehensive evaluation of the market in 2026.
The federal agency is currently in the process of analysing the role in society of the German regulated market that was introduced in 2021, bringing to play the Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling GlüNeuRStv (GlüStV), which established a new regulatory framework for online gambling disciplines.
A key focus of this analysis is the effects on the public of gambling advertisements, especially those shown online and on TV, with the GGL awarding media research group eye square GmbH a contract to perform an in-depth study on the issue towards the end of last year – to be coordinated with all 16 German federal states.
Still ongoing, the study will primarily focus on whether vulnerable groups are being influenced by not only individual ads, such as TV commercials and social media advertising, but also the inclusion of customer bonuses and discounts.
“It is expected that the result will provide information on the extent to which the provisions of GlüStV 2021 are suitable or can be improved to direct players and those determined to play to the advertised legal gambling offer, without having a (special or critical) incentive effect on persons who have not yet been interested in gambling and/or vulnerable,” the GGL added.
Subcontractors have been commissioned to take on the tasks of an empirical investigation and advertising impact analysis, structured literature analysis, as well as content analysis of common commercials.
An independent panel of experts has also been assigned to “cover the entire breadth of the scientific discourse”, consisting of Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker, President of the Media Council of the Saxon State Media Authority, and Prof. Christian Krebs LL.M., Director of the Lower Saxony State Media Authority.
Staying in Saxony, a separate evaluation of the GlüStV regime and player protection is being conducted by the Institute of Public Health of the University of Bremen.
The reason behind this was a prior study conducted by Bremen’s university from March 2023, which revealed that the rate of those aged between 18 and 70 who suffer by gambling disorders hasn’t changed since 2021 – anchored at 2.4%.
A subsequent study by economist Günther Schnabl of the University of Leipzig using data from 25,000 German consumers revealed another problem – almost half of them were engaging with illegal gambling offerings.
Drawing from an evaluation of the market by Germany’s online metre panel, Nielsen Media, Schnabl revealed that only 50.7% of German gamblers were using licenced providers as of March 2023 – with a significant influx of users being observed towards unlicensed EU (28.9%) and offshore (19.9%) operators since January 2019.
From its inception, the GlüStV 2021 regime has been put under scrutiny over data and research conflicts – with the German Sports Betting Association Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV) being a vocal critic and demanding instant reforms since the application of the GlüStV regime.
The GGL has worked closely with relevant stakeholders and federal states to address all concerns raised around GlüStV, which has led to the numerous studies mentioned above.
“The GGL will exchange close information with the federal states on the partial reports and further assessments of the panel of experts,” the regulator added, with the ultimate goal being the introduction of a new advertising code for gambling to be reconciled by individual German state authorities and signed into federal law.
