Online casinos and sports betting providers under German regulation were initially far from being clearly recognisable to all players. Only a small note in the footer referred to the German licence or the responsibility of the Darmstadt Regional Council and later the Joint Gambling Authority of the Länder (GGL). This has now changed.

"Be careful where you register and where you play - legality and respectability are not proven by words alone": This or something similar could be the guiding principle by which we, as prudent players, choose our casinos. At GambleJoe, too, it is made clear time and again how important it is to pay less attention to promises and more attention to licences and other official seals of approval before creating an account on a platform.

After a long time in which only a simple logo indicated a German licence, GGL recently introduced its own seal. Since the beginning of July, this seal can be found on most digital casinos and sports betting portals regulated in Germany. Next to the GGL logo is the text "State-licensed and supervised".

Unfavourable licence labelling for a long time

The State Treaty on Gaming (GlüStV) of 2021 has made many things easier: you can now be sure that licensed offers comply with certain requirements. Above all, the easier legal prosecution of potential problem cases will make gamblers feel more at ease (many of the innovations outside of the protection aspects, on the other hand, are downright agitating).

The positive features of the GlüStV are manifested in the German licence. Until recently, however, there was no official licence seal. The only reliable guidance we had was information in the footer, such as 'The gaming offer is under the supervision of the Darmstadt Regional Council' or similar, with a corresponding link: difficult to find and interpret for inexperienced players.

Of course, additional labels such as "Made in Germany", "Licensed in Germany" etc. were often used. However, on the one hand these were not from official sources - and on the other hand there were and still are (deceptive) seals with references to Germany, sometimes also on internationally licensed platforms that are primarily focused on the German market.

Licence seals important especially with regard to the still strong black market

Gambling in general is increasingly being played online. This fact alone means that it is increasingly important for reputable, licensed portals to be clearly recognisable. In 2022, the legal gambling market will have a turnover of around 13.4 billion euros. This figure is based on the information provided by the operators to the state gambling supervisory authorities and on relevant statistics from the relevant tax authorities.

This is undoubtedly a huge sum, but it does not reflect the full strength of the gambling market in Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people still gamble occasionally or even mainly on illegal gambling or sports betting platforms. Some do so deliberately, mainly because of the many restrictions imposed by German legislation.

Many, however, are not even aware that they are betting their money on illegal sites. This is one of the findings of the recently published Online Gambling Atlas. It is for these people that a discreet textual reference to the licence, as it was originally used, naturally attracts virtually no attention. An obvious licence seal is more powerful (but of course not a panacea for directing people to legal gambling).

Conclusion

The new GGL logo will undoubtedly bring greater clarity to the German online gaming landscape. However, it is only a small part of the necessary clarification of legally secure offerings. The authority's channeling project towards the exclusive use of legal platforms requires further information and measures. The security aspects are important - but casino games and sports betting should also be competitive in order to be able to compete with the black market. The many restrictions imposed by the German licence are more of a hindrance.

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