Small selection of games: Why does the gambling authority authorise so few slots?

The GGL, the regulator of online gambling, has strict guidelines for the approval of virtual slot machines and thoroughly examines each slot machine before granting a licence for the game. If an online casino wants to operate legally, it must limit itself to the games approved by the GGL. In recent months, however, there has been a growing chorus of criticism about the slow pace of slot approvals.

Overview: Which virtual slot machines have already been authorised by the Gaming Authority?

The joint gambling authority of the German states has already approved many games from well-known brands such as Novoline and Merkur for German online casinos. However, if you compare the range of games available in Germany with those offered by foreign gambling operators, the selection is significantly smaller than on these gambling platforms. In addition to the strict legal requirements in Germany, this is mainly due to the slow approval process.

A centrally managed whitelist of games approved by the GGL does not yet exist. This means that each online casino must have its games approved separately. Even if the slot has already been reviewed and approved for another operator, a new review is required, which can take up to half an hour. For this reason, industry experts are urgently calling for such a whitelist to speed up the approval process and thus improve the selection of games in virtual casinos.

Thousands of slot machines are currently waiting to be approved by the Joint Gaming Authority of the Federal States, based in Halle (Saale), for use by the applicant online casino. While players are waiting for more machines, some of them are migrating to operators with a wider selection that are not licensed in Germany. A faster approval process would therefore help to combat illegal gambling.

Small selection of games: Why do the German authorities authorise so few games?

During our research we were unable to find out exactly how many slot machines are currently licensed. In the absence of a central whitelist, it is not readily apparent whether the slot machines licensed to certain operators have already been licensed to other online casinos, or whether the licences issued by the GGL are the first licences for the slot machine in question.

If an online casino wishes to add new titles to its offering, it must obtain a licence from the GGL. Whilst some operators only make this effort for a relatively small number of slots, others have already submitted applications for many slots, but these are still awaiting processing due to a lack of resources.

Strict screening procedures for legal slot machines in Germany are designed to protect players and minimise the risk of addiction.
A central whitelist of all GGL-approved slot machines does not yet exist.
Many applications have been submitted to the GGL and are awaiting processing.

• Strict screening procedures for legal slot machines in Germany are designed to protect players and minimise the risk of addiction.
• A central whitelist of all GGL-approved slot machines does not yet exist.
• Many applications have been submitted to the GGL and are awaiting processing.

Top slots with authorisation from GGL

The Joint Gaming Authority of the federal states (GGL) has already authorised a thoroughly appealing selection of games from well-known providers. If users call up the game selection of online casinos authorised in Germany, they will come across slots from the following 5 providers, among others:

1. Merkur
2. Novoline
3. Pragmatic Play
4. Play’n GO
5. Wazdan

With popular titles such as Eye of Horus Megaways™, Book of Ra, El Torero, Big Bass Bonanza, Razor Shark and Book of Dead, the well-known providers provide successful entertainment with high-quality slots. Slowly but surely, more games are being added that have undergone and passed the GGL approval process. Ramses Book, Wanted Dead or a Wild, Sweet Bonanza, Gigatoonz and Sword of Ares have already made it through.

Top slots without GGL authorisation

While the approval for some slots is more or less a formality, other games that were crowd favourites before the State Treaty on Gambling came into force will not receive a licence from the GGL. These include, in particular, slots with a progressive jackpot such as the following 3 titles:

1. Mega Moolah
2. Hall of Gods
3. Beach Life

In addition to progressive jackpots, there are other reasons why the GGL may refuse a licence in a legal German online casino. For example, if not all information is available in German, no authorisation will be granted for the use of the slot.

Requirements for authorisation by the GGL

The German regulator has set strict criteria that online slots must meet in order to be approved. If developers want their slot games to gain a foothold in the German gaming world, they must comply with the requirements of the State Treaty on Gaming.

The rules of the game, the winning combinations with their associated payout amounts and the winning probabilities, including the probability of the maximum win and the payout ratio, must be clearly communicated to the players and must be visible at all times during the game. Winnings shall always be proportional to the stake and shall be denominated in euros only.

Machines that offer jackpots or have the word "casino" in their name cannot be licensed by the GGL. We have clearly listed all 9 important licensing criteria below:

1. All information must be provided in German.
2. The symbol combinations required for a win must be clearly explained.
3. The word "Casino" must not appear in the title of the game, in the game description or on the symbols.
4. The probabilities of winning must be clearly stated.
5. The probability of a maximum win must be disclosed.
6. The verified payout ratio must be stated.
7. The amount of all potential winnings must be dependent on the stake.
8. All amounts must be stated in euros.
9. Jackpots are not permitted.

How an audit works, step by step

For the authorisation of a virtual gaming machine by the GGL, the operator of the online casino first submits the game and a corresponding application to the authority for evaluation. Once the application has been processed, the following 3 steps are taken:

1. Preliminary review of the documents and the game for completeness and fulfilment of the requirements
2. Technical review of the slot including game mechanisms, payout structure and compliance with the strict legal requirements in Germany
3. Granting of authorisation or rejection of the application

The review takes around 30 minutes. However, as each gaming operator has to submit its own applications, meaning that the same slots are sometimes checked several times, the GGL currently has a large number of applications that can only be processed gradually.

Conclusion

Online slot machines are only approved by the GGL if they meet strict guidelines. The guidelines are designed to protect players. However, critics complain that the slow approval process and the resulting lack of choice of virtual slot machines in online casinos is driving users to illegal operators. Faster approval procedures are therefore needed, which could be achieved through a central whitelist for slot machines.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/dokumentieren-zugelassen-briefmarke-4082699/