GGL rejects more applications for slots - why?

Last month, the renowned iGaming trade fair ICE 2024 took place in London. Here, not only gambling providers but also gambling authorities exchanged information about current developments within the industry. The German gambling authority was also represented here and indirectly complained about the poor quality of individual applications.

It was only at the end of January that an article published on GambleJoe reported that the Joint Gaming Authority (JAA) had approved the new IDCheck.io identity check. Now, at the ICE 2024 iGaming trade show, which took place in London from 5 to 7 February, representatives from the JAA complained about the poor quality of the applications submitted by individual operators.

GGL calls for better quality of slot machine licence applications

The GGL, based in Halle (Saale), is not only responsible for the licensing of individual gaming operators, but must also examine every single slot game before it is approved in Germany. Slots are only approved under strict player protection conditions. This means that slots with progressive jackpots, such as Mega Moolah, are not eligible for approval. At the ICE 2024 iGaming trade fair, GGL officials appealed to companies to submit applications that would be eligible for approval.

Specifically, the GGL criticised the fact that in many cases applicants were unable to provide proper test environments. This meant that the operators were unable to provide the authorities with a platform with functional and selectable games.

For this reason, the German Gambling Authority has already had to reject several applications. Unfortunately, the authority does not publish specific figures on how many virtual slot machines are already licensed in Germany.

The regulations stipulate that each operator must have its games approved separately, which results in a considerable amount of work for the authority's staff. In order to provide applicants with the best possible support, the GGL intends to offer a webinar on the subject later this year. Almost exactly a year ago, we reported that the GGL had publicly criticised the unreliability of some online casinos.

Nearly 40 gaming companies hold a German online slots licence

Exactly 39 companies currently hold a GGL licence for online slots (as of 4 March 2024). In total, these companies operate a low three-digit number of online casinos for the German market. Just a few days ago, in an article published on GambleJoe, we asked ourselves what the most important features of online casinos in Germany are.

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