At the moment, online casino gaming activities are not legal within the borders of Germany. In other words, online casinos cannot legally operate and offer their services to German gamers. Nonetheless, the new regulation regarding the iGaming industry in Germany will allow German gamers to engage in online casino gaming activities at online casinos that hold all of the required licenses.
This means that Germany’s iGaming industry is about to see very positive changes thanks to the new regulation rules as online poker rooms and online casinos will most likely be legalized from the 1st of July 2021. Even though new online casino gaming and gambling regulations are coming soon, the country is not as comfortable as you would think with legalizing all sorts of online gambling activities, so there will be some restrictions in place.
To make it easier to understand the upcoming changes, we take a look at the rules and regulations in place today in comparison to the rules of the new regulation and what they mean for German online casinos. We also bring you an online casino comparison or as Germans would say “Online Casino Vergleich“ so you know what to expect from soon-opening German online casinos.
Online casino gaming in Germany today
As mentioned in the previous section, online casino gaming and gambling activities in Germany are mostly outlawed. When compared to other European iGaming markets, Germany is one of those countries where companies cannot offer online gambling activities. Moreover, according to German laws, it is illegal to engage in online casino gaming activities even though these laws are not enforced by the government and authorities.
In other words, online casino gaming venues cannot legally operate in German nowadays under the Interstate Treaty on Gambling law. After the 1st of July, the iGaming regulatory environment when it comes to online casino gaming will change since new regulations come into the picture. These new regulations will lead to the massive expansion of the entire German online casino gaming industry.
The rules and limitations of the new regulation
The rules of the new regulation that was already approved have to be approved by all states in the country before they reach the European Commission. Once here, the new online gambling laws and regulations will be enforced starting from the 1st of July. These new rules of the new regulation will allow residents of Germany to play many great online casino games at licensed online casinos. Nonetheless, there will be some restrictions as well such as:
- Deposit limitations up to € 1,000 per month
- Advertisement restrictions for online casino operators
- Slot games will have stake limits of € 1 per spin
- Stake limitations for poker games as well
When it comes to other online casino games such as classic table games, every state in the country will decide on its own whether to allow such games or not. If they allow it, there will be stake limitations in place just like with slots and poker games. Even with many restrictions in place, the new regulation opens doors for renowned and respectable online casinos that are looking forward to expanding their operations in Germany.
Shortly after the new regulation was announced, the official iGaming regulatory body the Regional Council of Darmstadt received over thirty applications from online casino operators that want to offer their service in the country. These applications are not approved yet but some of them will be as July 2021 is approaching. Before you register at any German online casino, make sure you check other regulated, licensed venues for an unbiased online casino comparison so that you can make the right decision and pick an online casino that fits your preferences. The most important criteria remains their licensing and whether they are allowed to legally operate or not.
Story by Jonathan Douglas
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