Germany’s Gambling Sector Needs Well-Rounded Research

During the 20th edition of the Symposium on Gambling hosted by the University of Hohenheim in Germany, the country’s gambling regulator, Glücksspielbehörde Gemeinsame der Länder (GGL), discussed its present and future plans regarding gambling research practices. 

At the start of the year, the country’s new federal gambling regulator vowed it would assess all companies and content before giving out new licenses while promising a crackdown on the black gambling market.

Regulations Must Rely on Facts and Figures

Board member Ronald Benter commented on the critical necessity for quality research into the gambling industry in the important context of the State Treaty on Gambling being assessed. 

He explained that scientific findings need to be at the foundation of “political and social debates” while highlighting the need for additional regulations resulting from facts and figures. 

Benter further explained that one of their main responsibilities is to promote and initiate gambling research while taking the opportunity to praise their good results “despite the comparatively short existence” of the body. 

The GGL also used the voice of one of its board members present at the symposium to highlight the importance of carrying an open dialogue and listening to all “points of view and interests” before making a decision.

Combined Gambling Studies of €1.39M

The regulator was officially established as a replacement for the old Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office right after the State Treaty on Gambling signaled the launch of the regulated gambling market on July 1, 2021. 

Since then, the GGL has commissioned several gambling studies with a total value of €1.39 million ($1.52 million). Additional studies are underway.

Last December, a study on gambling advertising was awarded to media research company Eye Square as a result of the agency’s efforts to work together with the country’s 16 federal states. 

A fresh study is underway on the topic of the black market’s predominance in Germany. Similar research was required by the gambling group Entain in the past. 

In November 2023, Entain endorsed the findings of a study that was commissioned by the German Online Casino Association together with the German Sports Betting Association regarding the large number of illegal gambling operators in the country. 

Then, the leading operator spoke about the regulations disincentivizing consumers from engaging with legal operators, thus contributing to important losses.

Earlier in March, the German regulator asked for stricter regulations to be applied on loot boxes in video games as a means of further protecting vulnerable individuals from problem gambling.