Agreement on new State Treaty on Gambling

Next year, there will probably be a new State Gambling Treaty and casino apps will then be permitted throughout Germany. Online and TV advertising should also be possible nationwide from the time the amendments come into force and should then replace the “Only for players in Schleswig-Holstein” constructions.

Key Facts

A new Interstate Gambling Treaty could come into force next year, making casino apps permissible nationwide.
Once the agreement comes into force, nationwide online and TV advertising could be possible, replacing existing regulations.
The aim is to curb the gray and black market in online gambling in order to create legal certainty.
A central gambling authority is to be created to ensure compliance with the new regulations.
In future, there will be a monthly investment limit of 1,000 euros for players.
The new regulations could facilitate the development of German providers and promote investment.
The minister presidents of the federal states could approve the new agreement from March, with it coming into force in July 2021.

The aim is to curb the gray and black markets in online gambling and thus not only create legal certainty, but also protect players more effectively from addiction. So far, the environment has been dominated by foreign providers, which is why not only taxes also flow to Malta or various Caribbean countries, but also players have less legal security.

In the future, however, it will only be possible to “invest” a maximum of 1,000 euros per month, in total and with all providers.

A central gambling authority is to be created to ensure compliance with all new regulations.

At present, it looks as if the minister presidents of the German states could give the green light for the new treaty as early as the beginning of March, and the new GlüStV could come into force in July 2021.

The development is very interesting for German providers, as it should simplify development and offering and facilitate financing by investors. The esports betting field is also likely to get a boost from the changes. On the question of when esport betting is gambling and when it is not, you can find a whole series of posts on my blog.

It remains to be seen what will happen in the next few. I will provide more information as soon as possible.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.