Kirchner enters term as GGL Chair to advance crackdown on illegal gambling

Sandro Kirchner has been named the new Chairman of the German gaming regulator – the Administrative Board at the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL).

Kirchner, the current State Secretary in the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior for Sport and Integration, will immediately take over from Reiner Moser, Head of Office in the Ministry of the Interior for Digitalisation and Municipalities for Baden-Württemberg.

The news comes as the GGL celebrates four-years since its formation following the adoption of the Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty in 2021. His appointment also comes at a time when tackling illegal gambling stands out as a key priority for the GGL.

Moser, now GGL’s Head of Department, said: “The online gambling market has developed rapidly in recent years. The GGL has met the resulting challenges with great commitment and can already demonstrate remarkable results both in combating illegal gambling and in regulating and supervising the legal market.

“The exchange between the states and the GGL is always trusting and results-oriented. I would like to sincerely thank the Board of Directors and all GGL employees for this constructive cooperation over the past year.”

During his tenure, Moser promoted digital transformation, leveraging his background in the Ministry of the Interior to support tech-based regulatory tools. He also prioritised player protection and youth gambling.

He has also steered the GGL’s regulatory activities during a tricky adjustment period for Germany’s gambling sector, with operators and the government clashing at times over issues like taxation, advertising, and online casino restrictions.

Each year on 1 July, the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors is transferred to the next member state in alphabetical order, giving Kirchner a year to oversee Germany’s +€14bn gambling market.

Taking the fight against illegal gambling further

Kirchner assumes his leadership as the GGL advances its ambitious agenda, with a focus on enhancing international cooperation to fight illegal gambling as mentioned above.

For example, building on Google’s 2024 ban of unlicensed gambling ads, the GGL is expanding its digital ad monitoring network this year. It has also been advocating for a new legal provision to enable IP-blocking of gambling ads, not just illegal sites.

Kirchner also described the consistent prosecution of illegal offerings and player protection as his highest priorities. He added: “The work of the GGL must continue to be significantly geared towards ensuring that the business model of illegal gambling is not profitable in Germany.

“With regard to his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors, he added: “I look forward to continuing the successful work of everyone involved over the past four years. We will certainly continue to face many challenges. However, I believe the GGL is well positioned to achieve this.”

This week, the GGL also published its 2024 Third Annual Activity Report, which demonstrated concrete data on the size and structure of Germany’s online betting market. 

In detail, legal operators recorded total stakes of €8.2bn in 2024, marking a modest rise from €7.9bn the previous year.