Hessen gives permission for casino games Roulette and Blackjack

Around two weeks ago, the State Parliament of Hesse approved an extensive amendment to the Gambling Act. In the future casino games such as Roulette or Blackjack will be permitted in this region which has more than six million inhabitants. Which conditions did the politicians impose for the casino games and from when are live games accessible to interested gambling fans?

Currently only virtual slot machine games are available in the licensed online casinos. The new State Gambling Act (GlüStV), which came into effect on the 1^st July 2021, stipulates that online slots will be permitted nationwide. However, this is not the case for the so-called casino games and live games such as Roulette or Blackjack. Every region can establish its own conditions for such games and where necessary, the relevant licenses may be issued. In Hesse it was decided to give permission for these casino games. Just recently we have reported, that the region of Hesse has made more than 20 million Euro from online games of chance.

Preventing people from turning to illegal providers

The fact that in Hesse casino games such as Roulette and Blackjack are permitted on the internet (under strict conditions) should prevent people from turning to illegal online casinos. A similar amendment to the law was also approved by the State Parliament of Wiesbaden around two weeks ago. The Minister for Internal Affairs of Hesse, Peter Beuth (CDU), spoke about the legalisation of casino games in his region as follows:

“We are permitting virtual casino games, with restrictions, because in the past when these were forbidden, this had led to an increase in the international black market on the internet. We could not keep ignoring the reality of these consequences.”

At least two casinos must join forces

According to the recently bypassed law amendments, a minimum of two casinos must join forces to be permitted to provide virtual casino games on the internet. Otherwise, no permission will be granted. The alternative, i.e., a complete ban on games of chance was not even considered by the politicians in Hesse. A complete ban would be ineffective as the gambling enthusiasts would otherwise turn to illegal providers. This would even have consequences when it comes to protect youths and players.

Live-Games have a future in Germany

Hesse is not the first region to permit online casino games (under certain restrictions). In March we had already reported, that even North Rhine-Westphalia plans to issue five casino licences. One expects more regions to follow suite and legalise live games. Besides virtual slot machines, players from Germany will have the opportunity to play Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat & Co. for real money in the licensed online casinos. Around two years ago we had published an article on GambleJoe where we had raised the issue, whether live games will still have a future in Germany. Meanwhile the answer is yes.

Conclusion

Virtual casino games such as Blackjack or Roulette will be permitted in Hesse in the future. Even North Rhine-Westphalia and other regions have shown that they are ready to legalise such games. It seems to be only a question of time, as to when Roulette, Blackjack and other live games will be available in the services of the licensed online casinos.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/glück-glückszahl-7-roulette-kessel-839036/