OASIS: How well does the player blocking system work?

The OASIS gambling ban is a central element in the endeavour to promote responsible gambling in Germany. The ‘online player status enquiry’ checks in real time before the game starts whether the player in question is currently banned or not. The respective game can only be started once the online enquiry has been successfully completed. But how well does the nationwide ban file work in practice?

The Online Abfrage Spielerstatus, or OASIS for short, was introduced in August 2021 as a key tool in the fight against gambling addiction and problematic gambling behaviour in Germany. However, there were many problems and confusion for both players and providers, especially in the early days. For example, we reported back in summer 2021 that the OASIS player blocking system was not yet working properly.

A look at the corresponding thread in the GambleJoe forum shows that quite a few players are still having problems with the nationwide ban file. Some players criticise the fact that employees do not respond to enquiries or requests. In other cases, it is criticised that the respective player account is still not reactivated after a temporary ban has expired. Interested readers can follow the latest developments in the forum here.

How does the online player status enquiry system (OASIS) work?

In practice, every organiser and broker of games of chance must carry out a player status check in advance. In this context, the provider transmits the player's full name and date of birth to the system and the response is either ‘The player is not blocked’ or ‘The player is blocked’.

A basic distinction must be made between self-blocking and third-party blocking. Players who are of the opinion that they would like to take a temporary break from gambling can apply to the Darmstadt Regional Council for a corresponding ban (see ‘Downloads’). Anyone who does not know exactly whether an entry is listed in the nationwide blocking system has the right to apply for blocking information. In response, you will then find out whether there is a block and, if there is a block, who entered it.

It should be noted that the minimum duration of a self-exclusion is always three months. For example, if you apply for a self-block for one or two months, you will still be blocked for three months. Third-party bans, which can be initiated by the provider or by close associates of the player, always have a minimum duration of one year.

Tip: In our ‘Casino Guide’ section, you will find a comprehensive report on how the OASIS blocking file works.

OASIS: Over 270,000 active self- or third-party bans

At the beginning of June this year, we reported that there are now over 270,000 active player bans across Germany. Around 260,000 of these bans were requested by the players themselves. The remaining 10,000 bans were initiated by third parties. Over 35,000 gaming facilities are now connected to the nationwide blocking file. Over 90 million system queries are processed each month.

How well does the blacklist work in practice?

Unfortunately, problems began to mount up shortly after the introduction of the barring system. Initially, there were always technical problems, which meant that information could not be exchanged. To this day, however, many players criticise the fact that it takes far too long to continue playing after a request to lift a self-imposed ban. Some players have reported that they were ‘involuntarily’ banned for several months because the ban was not lifted promptly.

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