A brief overview of the new German Gambling Act 2021

So what's behind the 70 pages of the new bill? What can gamblers expect? We have carefully studied the document and summarized the most important points for you.

German online casino licenses

The first online casino licenses in Germany will be officially available in July 2021. Licensees must meet particularly strict requirements, which is, of course, good for player protection. This includes, for example, time limits on advertising, with advertising banned from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Here's the good news.

Limiting betting

On the other hand, we are critical of the betting restriction. So you can play slot machines and video slots for a maximum of one euro per spin. Of course, this also limits your profit possibilities.

In addition, there is a deposit limit of €1,000 per player for all German online gambling providers. If you want to win more money, you're out of luck.

Artificial waiting times

Another critical point is the artificial waiting time that is prescribed for online casinos. The game round must last at least five seconds. Popular features, such as quick play options or the autoplay feature, by which you can start several rounds of the game in a row, have been categorically prohibited.

In addition, there is talk of waiting time when switching between different gambling offerings. What exactly this will look like is not yet clear. Waiting time is possible if you want to switch from the casino area to the online poker area.

The ban on jackpot games

The wording of the law explicitly mentions the jackpot ban, which means that progressive jackpot games are not allowed. With a progressive jackpot, a portion of the bet is redirected and added to the jackpot. This means that the jackpot continues to grow with each game and can reach huge amounts. This is categorically forbidden.

This means that you will not be able to find any jackpot games in new German online casinos. Thus, popular progressive jackpot slots like Microgaming's Mega Molaah will only be available in unlicensed casinos.

The ban on online casino games

In another hit to all casino friends, popular live dealer games are banned. So if you prefer to play at a live casino through live streaming and like to chat with the dealers in live chat, you can only do that at an  "Online Casino ohne deutsche Lizenz".

Depending on how you read the text of the law, it is possible that table games such as blackjack or roulette may only be offered at certain online casinos. An online casino without blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps and more? Does that even make sense? We shake our heads.

The central lock file and the population register

Under the proposed law, a central lock file and population register should be created. They should contain the data of all players registered at German online casinos. Before registration, the provider must check whether the player is booked in the lock file and is even allowed to play online for real money.

Basically, a central lock file makes a lot of sense. If you want to be blocked, you can do so at the central point. You are now blocked for all German online casinos, which eliminates the temptation to continue playing. This is often the only effective remedy for gambling addiction.

However, there are certainly problems, for example with data protection. How much information do providers have to provide to the population registry? Is all gambling behavior recorded there? And what happens to that collected data?

Many of these questions have yet to be answered.

Summarized

As we read Germany's new state treaty on gambling regulation, we all shook our heads. Many rules and specifications simply ignore reality.

The low betting limit already greatly reduces players' freedom of choice. In addition, there is a ban on jackpot slot machines, live casino games, and probably all table games. Who exactly should want to play at these online casinos? We assume that many players will simply stay at the already existing online casinos without a German license.