In mid-April, the party leaders of the CDU, CSU and SPD presented their plans for a joint government. The coalition agreement in question also contains a specific passage on illegal gambling, in which an improvement in the fight against such offers is announced. From the industry's point of view, this is "great progress" and an "important signal". Associations are now calling for more clarity and are campaigning for changes. In fact, the stipulation increases the chances that something will change noticeably - also for players.
The Interstate Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV) generally prohibits the popular autoplay function. Despite this, the SlotMagie casino has been offering the so-called "continuous spin" feature for a few weeks now, which at first glance appears to enable this prohibited autoplay mode. But how does SlotMagie trick the legal regulations and is it even a fully-fledged autoplay mode?
In Germany, there is a general deposit limit of 1,000 euros per month for online casinos across all providers. According to the renowned gambling researcher Dr. Tobias Hayer, this amount is far too high. He advocates a significant reduction in the monthly deposit limit. But how high does he think the maximum possible deposit amount should be in practice?
Recent analyses by a renowned data company have raised eyebrows: apparently far fewer Germans play online than would actually be expected in a European comparison. An outlier? Or is there more to it than that?
In mid-March 2025, it was revealed that three German online casinos had exposed sensitive information of more than one million players to the public due to massive data protection vulnerabilities. In the wake of this, the question arises as to whether the German gambling supervisory authority should also take a closer look at the technical infrastructure of such platforms. In addition, the specialist press has reported (not without criticism) on a side effect that is probably quite pleasing for the authorities: Various illegal providers are said to have disappeared from the net following the hack.
According to the Interstate Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV), the cross-provider deposit limit may not exceed 1,000 euros per month and player. Under certain conditions, however, it is possible to claim significantly higher limits for online gambling. However, there has now been criticism of the procedures for checking economic capacity in order to increase limits.
IP blocking is generally seen as the most effective weapon in the fight against illegal online gambling. The Joint Gambling Authority of the German federal states (GGL) wanted to use it immediately after it was given responsibility for combating the gambling black market in Germany. However, the judiciary had its objections. Recently, the Federal Administrative Court once again confirmed that IP bans are not enforceable. However, GGL continues to negotiate and is using an alternative method in the meantime.
At a recent congress in Berlin, the GGL spoke about (new) measures to advance the fight against the black market in Germany. One of the topics discussed was Section 284 of the German Criminal Code (StGB), which criminalizes illegal gambling. If the authorities have their way, this should be clearly extended to online providers based abroad as quickly as possible. In fact, such an amendment could have considerable consequences for casinos or sports betting platforms and their users!
Several German online casinos were recently affected by a hacker attack. It is alleged that sensitive customer data was temporarily accessible to third parties. The three online gambling providers, which are owned by Merkur AG, have already informed their players of the incidents by email. But what is the best way for those affected to react and who is behind this?
According to the State Treaty on Gambling of 2021, online table games are generally permitted in Germany. However, regulation is not nationwide, as is the case with virtual machines, but is a matter for the federal states. This inconsistent solution has meant that roulette, blackjack and the like cannot be played online in many places to this day (at least not legally). Baden-Württemberg has recently become one of the few regions to approve such casino games. However, only from a state provider and, of course, only within the state borders.
The Gambling Survey is considered the most important data collection on gambling participation in Germany. The Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD) and the Gambling Research Unit at the University of Bremen have been in charge since 2021. Compared to the last survey conducted by the previously responsible Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), the figures shot up by an astonishing 550 percent practically overnight! Many people then asked themselves: Can this be right? Apparently not, as a new Forsa study now suggests. The result should give those responsible for the gambling survey a real stomach ache.
As part of the know-your-customer (KYC) process, gambling providers verify the identity and age of players. For this purpose, users usually have to present a valid ID document and, depending on the verification option, take a selfie or provide the provider with other personal documents. But which casino verification options have now become established in Germany?
The SlotMagie online casino has a promising loyalty program that hardly anyone knows about. We are talking about the SlotMagie Gold Club, a program for frequent players. There are three levels in total - Bronze, Silver and Gold. But how attractive is the Gold Club in practice and is it worth joining?
"Game changer", "groundbreaking", "gaming experience of the future": headlines like these were more common a few years ago when it came to virtual reality (VR) and gaming. The first VR slots or even entire VR casinos were proudly presented at international trade fairs and made quite an impression. Many predicted a revolution. However, the whole thing never really caught on. Insiders recently revealed why this might be the case and which top innovation is really likely to stick around for the long term.
A few days ago, employees of the public order office accidentally discovered an illegal gambling hall in the Berlin district of Neukölln. The officers were actually busy enforcing parking violations. However, they noticed several people who had disappeared without a trace behind a wooden wall in a pub. After reinforcements were called in, the noses of the public order office discovered a fully-fledged "backroom casino".
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