German lawmakers officially allowed online gambling in Germany after the highly restrictive GlüneuRStV regulatory framework was enacted. However, the new regulatory framework will enter into force no earlier than July 1, 2021.

The new German restrictive framework has very sophisticated regulations for the protection of players and measures that should prevent the development of addiction to gambling.

According to this structure, all authorized operators can offer slot machines, sports betting and poker games, but they need to:

• limit bets during the game only by the end result;
• set a bet limit of one euro per spin;
• blackjack, roulette and other online table games will be banned during the transition period;
• introduce a monthly fee of 1000 euros per player.

Any violation of the rules will result in license revocation and possible blacklisting.

The fact that certain changes could occur in Germany was first pointed out last November, when the Gambling Research Center only proposed a few changes to the country’s gambling laws.

The report says:

For reasons of player protection, a regulated market is preferable to an unregulated one. Then, in January of this year, a decision was made on the caps for the players, which the operators opposed because they considered them too strict.

Mr. Schleswig-Holstein invited each “federal land” to develop its own online casino controls. This will mean only one online casino license per land, and in some cases a maximum of three licenses.

In addition to the low maximum bet limit, the law proposes that each spin should be at least 5 seconds long, no autoplay features are allowed, and operators should not offer jackpots in slot machines!