Lotto BW finally opens long-announced online casino with "erwin"

It took some time: it was announced back in 2022 that Lotto Baden-Württemberg was planning an online casino with slot machines. Another year passed before the matter became more concrete with the issue of a licence for corresponding offers by the GGL. In April 2024, the time had finally come: Lotto BW's online casino called "erwin" went online. What is there to discover?

We have already reported several times on the plans and implementation of Lotto BaWü's online casino: The first time was in January 2022, when the lottery company from Baden-Württemberg announced a range of casino games. The aim was not to leave the market to private providers, but to provide an attractive state programme: This is how it was handed down in our article. The licence application had already been submitted at the time and the procedure had to be awaited. In June 2023, we received the news that the BW lottery office had been granted a licence for virtual slot games. The domain "lotto-bw.de" did not initially include a gaming centre. However, it was really only a matter of time before the casino was launched.

In the end, it took almost another year: in April 2024, Lotto BW officially announced the opening of its portal with the name "erwin" in a press release. The portfolio of slot machine games is now available to interested parties throughout Germany. The lottery company emphasises that it is the first state lottery provider in this segment.

What erwin has to offer

Layout and usability

erwin is a typical online casino in purely visual terms - and the content of the platforms is also similar to many offers with a German licence. When you enter, you are greeted by a central slider with various game options and bonuses.

The main navigation is located above this promotion area. At the very bottom, you can choose between "Lotteries" and "Slots". There is also a section with information about the company. A little further to the right are the options for logging in or registering and making a deposit. The latter point is of course only accessible after logging in.

A selection of games is arranged at the bottom of the layout. The footer concludes with legal information and links to customer service, blog, etc. Everything is clearly laid out and the loading times are (according to PageSpeed Insights) pretty good (but not outstanding).

Payment conditions

Even if you cannot access the checkout without logging in, you can view the payment conditions in the footer and via the FAQs. The available methods are credit card, direct debit and PayPal.

Deposits are booked immediately. Withdrawals take one to three working days. There are no fees charged by the provider. However, it should be noted that banks and credit card companies may charge fees for transfers.

Customer service

Support is available daily from 08:00 to 21:00. Live chat is the primary means of contact. If this is not available or there are more detailed concerns, a hotline is available as an alternative. Finally, a classic contact form or customer service by e-mail is also provided.

Bonus offers

erwin does have certain promotions in its portfolio. However, there is no classic welcome bonus. There is no bonus section. No facts about possible deals are listed in the FAQ or the conditions of participation either.

The only goodie is a competition that you can take part in by subscribing to the newsletter. Monthly prizes such as games consoles, vouchers or e-scooters are offered here. To take part, you have to register and then subscribe to the newsletter via your customer account.

Games

Lotto BW's online casino contains just over 200 games. This puts the portal at the lower end of German online casinos in terms of selection. 400 to 500 titles are a good average. Hardly any other provider comes close to the 1,000 mark.

After all, erwin brings together various providers. According to its own statement, Greentube Novomatic, Pragmatic Play, Blueprint Gaming, Hacksaw, Hölle Games, Elk Studios, Apparat Gaming and Spinomenal are partners and provide a selection of their titles. Those responsible also state that the portfolio is constantly being expanded.

Unfortunately, there is no filter for developers when searching for favourite games. Otherwise, however, the options are not bad. You can filter by volatility, themes and features. In addition, you can tick the box "Only games with free spins".

This is why Lotto BW has opened its own online casino - official statements criticising the GGL

In the press release, those responsible clearly state that the main aim is to offer a casino that is secure at all levels. Georg Wacker, Managing Director of Staatliche Toto-Lotto GmbH Baden-Württemberg, made the following statement: "We believe it is important for a state provider to offer players a legal and reliable service in this segment too."

In addition, previous steps have emphasised that the market should not be left exclusively to private companies.

According to press reports, Wacker spoke even more clearly about legality in the run-up to the gambling symposium organised by the Gambling Research Centre at the University of Hohenheim. He is convinced that the liberalisation of the gambling market makes it more important than ever to take decisive action against the black market:

"In the interests of players, the aim must be to dry up the black market through effective measures. And thereby strengthen the legal offers."

He also criticised the current direction of the Joint Gambling Authority of the federal states (GGL). This authority needs more personnel resources and must expand its ability to act. This applies not least to the authorisation procedures, which need to be accelerated (similar points were also taken up by the DOCV in its recent criticism of regulation and the GGL).

However, Wacker is not in favour of a comprehensive adjustment of the current laws. He considers the adaptation of legal to illegal offers to be ineffective. A supposed strengthening of competition would not effectively combat the black market. On the contrary, illegal providers would be strengthened in the current orientation of their offers. Wacker said verbatim:

"It is imperative to prevent the black market from being whitewashed at the expense of players due to inadequate options for action by the GGL."

Conclusion

Image source: Screenshot von https://www.lotto-bw.de/automatenspiele/uebersicht