It was planned that the new State Treaty on gaming would come into force in July 2021. The EU Commission has now announced that the standstill period will be extended. It seems that some associations and institutions are criticizing the new treaty. This criticism can lead to the new State Treaty on Gambling either being delayed or not coming into force at all.
These points of criticism have been expressed so far
The German Online Casino Association does not agree with the strict regulations that have been included in the new State Treaty on Gambling. The fact that slot machines have to be offered separately from other casino games such as roulette and poker is particularly criticized . This regulation could mean that many best online casinos do not even try to obtain a license. As a result, only a small number of online casinos would be able to offer their services in Germany: those who do not receive a license cannot offer games of chance.
This fear also arises from the fact that, according to the new State Treaty on Gambling, only state lotteries should offer the popular and classic casino games. As a result, online casinos would only be able to offer slots. However, not only these are popular with the players. In general, casino players expect to have an extensive selection to choose from. For this reason, all online casinos so far offer various variants of roulette, for exampleat. Thanks to this, not only professionals but also laypeople get their money's worth. Many roulette variants only require a very low stake, while others set a higher limit. There are also roulette variants with an auto function: Here the game continues if the owner is not sitting in front of the PC or smartphone. Thanks to this automatic, the chances of winning increase accordingly.
Other points of criticism
Apart from the separation of the games, there are other points of criticism. According to the new State Treaty on Gambling, a maximum deposit amount would have to be complied with: players may deposit a maximum of 1000 euros per month. There is currently no way how the online casinos should check compliance with this rule. If you register at several casinos, you could deposit the maximum amount at each casino thanks to the lack of a central register. Not only this leads to criticism - the fact that players are allowed to set a limit for themselves is not taken into account in the new State Treaty on Gambling. The deposit limit is intended to protect players from excessive losses. However, as mentioned above, everyone could do this themselves.
It is also criticized that, once the new law comes into force, live betting will be prohibited. No institution sees any particular meaning behind this. According to fears, many players could resort to online casinos that do not have a license and thus operate illegally. To prevent this, an idea was integrated into the new contract: deposits and withdrawals should no longer be able to take place via an unlicensed online casino. This should also be ensured by credit institutions that are not allowed to carry out a desired transfer. The banks are also opposed to this idea, as it is a violation of European guidelines.
The intended regulations also meant that numerous reports were received from Malta. Many online casinos have already been issued a license there, which, according to EU law, also applies to Germany. However, many of these casinos could not obtain a license from Germany due to the new regulations and would operate illegally in the future.
How long will the State Treaty on Gambling be delayed?
Further institutions can speak up until September 18, or amended regulations on the desired State Treaty on Gaming will be submitted. Of course, the entry into force of the contract will be delayed due to the new standstill period. It may even be necessary for the desired contract to be completely revised.
Curiously, the new contract could lead to many players turning to an unlicensed casino. Such a casino could not be verified, which does not guarantee player protection. Thus, the treaty would achieve the opposite of what it was created for. There are also many points of criticism here, as it would be more logical to issue multiple licenses. At licensed casinos there are ways to check player protection. You don't necessarily have to resort to a maximum bet amount. There would be many weaker options: players could be forced to take a break if the game time was too long. The game behavior could be checked by software and solutions could then be offered to the player. All of this would run anonymously - compared to a planned central register. Many players have a problem with the storage of their personal data for understandable reasons. All of this could be viewed as a privacy breach.
So far it has worked in an online casino in such a way that the players are advised to play responsibly. Many go a little further and offer links on the casino site from institutions that can help with critical gaming behavior. Such institutions are available anonymously. If the players could be motivated to control their own behavior and, if necessary, to seek help, an interstate gambling treaty with strict regulations would be unnecessary.