Gambling Laws for Germany

Recently, André Schröder stated that all the individual states were required to apply the submitted Interstate Treaty on gambling. This was in order to permit online gambling companies to work in Germany. André Schröder is the current Finance Minister of Saxony- Anhalt in Germany. Additionally, in order for Interstate Treaty to be passed into law, the treaty requires the approval of all the 16 federal states before the deadline which will be in January 2018. Moreover, before the deadline (January 2018), the 16 states will be required to apply the legislation of the online gambling companies in Germany.

André Schröder added that he wanted all individual states to make the Interstate Treaty official, therefore enabling it to be functional. Also, he said that if the Treaty was to be authorized by individual states, the regulations of the treaty were not to be on a national level. Consequently, the current regulations would still be applied and therefore, also the issues related to the current regulations.

André Schröder said that all the Prime Ministers had come to a conclusion and agreed on the adjustment of the gaming contract. The agreement came after a struggle of one month and the process of evaluating the obligations. The obligations were mainly related to the issues of enforcement that the country has with the current regulations concerning online sports and casino betting. Additionally, the Prime Ministers wanted to ensure consumer security. He also said that Saxony-Anhalt was in support with the gaming agreement and its amendments. André Schröder also stated that it was significant to ensure ratification of the Interstate Treaty.

Torsten Meinberg stated that if the Interstate Treaty was not signed, sports betting and online casinos would remain unremarkable and therefore, it would be difficult to effectively control illegal gambling. Furthermore, he stated that foreign gambling suppliers lacking German licenses were ignoring consumer security. Besides, the foreign gambling suppliers lacking German licenses were also immensely invading the public-oriented gambling game. He added that action was required with urgency. Torsten Meinberg is the head of the German Lotto and Totoblock.

Earlier this year, Germany’s proposals to overhaul the online gambling market in the country was dismissed by the European Commission. The European Commission disregarded Germany’s plans stating that the plans were not a feasible solution. Additionally, last October, the new State Treaty on Gambling that was agreed upon by the German representatives was dismissed by the European Commission. In a letter, the European Commission stated that the new State Treaty agreed by the German representatives was anti-competitive.