GGL Seeks Flexible Rules as German Gambling Market Changes

Germany’s Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) is calling for greater flexibility in gambling regulation as it marks five years since its establishment. The regulator says online gambling is changing faster than the country’s state-treaty framework can be amended.

The GGL now has around 100 employees and oversees a regulated market containing 129 licensed operators and intermediaries. Those licences cover 229 authorised gambling websites.

Ronald Benter, a member of the GGL’s executive board, said the authority has developed its expertise and infrastructure since its creation.

“Five years ago, there was a political mandate. Today, there is a fully operational, nationwide specialised authority. We had to recruit staff, build structures and expertise, and simultaneously shape a completely new area of regulatory oversight in practice.

“Today, we possess the experience, specialist knowledge, and technical capabilities to effectively supervise a highly digitised online gambling market with an international character. This marks the starting point for the next stage of development.”

Regulator Points To Faster Market Changes

The GGL wants the evaluation of Germany’s 2021 State Treaty on Gambling to examine how regulation can respond more quickly to changes in the online sector. The authority has highlighted developments in business models, technology and illegal gambling as areas where change can occur faster than legislative processes.

The regulator has also said it wants greater professional discretion within the existing legal framework. It plans to pursue that objective with its Administrative Council, which represents the interests of Germany’s federal stiates and contributes to the GGL’s development.

The GGL’s five-year review also points to the expansion of supervision over licensed operators. During 2025, the authority conducted more than 600 supervisory checks covering areas such as player protection, advertising and gambling product design. It has revoked two licences since beginning operations.

Enforcement Against Illegal Gambling Expands

The authority has significantly increased its action against illegal gambling. Prohibition proceedings climbed from 68 in 2022 to 287 in 2025. By the end of 2025, the GGL had examined approximately 6,300 websites for illegal gambling or related advertising.

Its enforcement approach increasingly covers companies connected to illegal operators. Payment service providers, advertising partners, affiliate networks and hosting companies have all come under greater scrutiny.

The GGL reported that 1,843 illegal websites were no longer accessible from Germany at the end of 2025 following prohibitions or network blocks. Measures involving payment providers also affected 178 websites, while 254 illegal providers had stopped serving the German market by year-end.

GGL Reports 77% Regulated Market Share

The regulator cited a scientific channelisation study that estimated regulated offers accounted for around 77% of Germany’s online gambling market in 2024. The GGL said the remaining unregulated activity means illegal gambling remains a continuing enforcement concern.

The authority also operates LUGAS, its central technical system for player protection and market monitoring. Its databases contained 5.3 million registered players at the end of 2025.

The GGL said future regulation should allow supervision to keep pace with market developments while maintaining player protection and enforcement against illegal activity.

Source:

“Five years of GGL: The specialist authority has established itself and is effective“, gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, September 22, 2026