What does it cost to operate the GGL?

The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) has been regulating the transnational gambling market in Germany since January 2023. Around 110 employees currently work for the newly founded authority based in Halle (Saale). But how much does it cost to run the GGL each month? We have tried to do the maths.

It was over two years ago that we at GambleJoe reported that the website of the nationwide gambling authority was going online. In the meantime, however, the newly founded authority has much more than just a functioning website. The central task of the GGL is to regulate the German online gambling market. There are currently around 110 employees working on this challenging task. We asked ourselves how much it might cost to run the gambling authority.

How much do employees at the German gambling authority earn?

Almost all positions at the gambling authority in Saxony-Anhalt have now been filled. If you look at the GGL job vacancies, there are currently only two adverts:

• IT policy officer - LUGAS
• Clerk for budget policy matters

If you take a closer look at the current vacancies, you will realise that the monthly salary is not at all unattractive. The IT policy officer is therefore graded according to salary group A13 BeS LSA. This means that the civil servant in the lowest experience level receives at least around 4,500 euros gross per month. At the highest experience level, it is even just under 6,000 euros gross per month.

The situation is similar for the second job advertisement. As a clerk for basic budget matters, you will be categorised in salary grade A12. Depending on their level of experience, employees can expect a gross monthly salary of between 4,000 and 5,300 euros.

The salary of Head of Department Nadja Wiezewski, for example, is likely to be even higher. In summer 2022, we reported that GGL had successfully recruited the renowned expert in gambling law. GGL board member Ronald Benter will of course earn a lot more.

GGL employees are not the authority's only cost factor

Of course, not all 110 employees at the gambling authority earn such lavish salaries. However, it is a fact that the operation of the GGL costs the taxpayer a lot of money every month. The gambling authority also has to bear a number of other costs.

These include the non-wage labour costs of the employees and the rent for the premises at Hansering 15 in Halle. The authority also has to call on external experts, conduct court proceedings, pay lawyers and ensure the continuous operation of the website. In July 2022, for example, we reported on the administrative proceedings conducted by GGL against Lottoland and Lottohelden.

Conclusion

Of course, we at GambleJoe can only estimate the costs incurred by the gambling authority at this point. It is not known what the operation of the GGL actually costs per month. However, it is a fact that at least a small amount in the millions has to be raised by the taxpayer every month to ensure the operation of the GGL.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/banknoten-währung-finanzen-euro-7850299/