Key points:
- The updated whitelist includes search and filter functionalities
- Additional information about the licences to be added under each company
- Any company not on the whitelist is to be considered illegal
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), the German Gaming Commission, has published an updated whitelist for companies operating within the jurisdiction.
The previous whitelist was a PDF document on the website, which the Commission identified as having several drawbacks.
According to the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021, all organisers and intermediaries of games of chance who have a licence in Germany are presented in a list that consumers and providers can check for themselves.
The new, updated whitelist is an interactive version of the list which comes with a targeted search and user-friendly filter function, which includes different types of gambling, such as sports betting, online poker, social lotteries, horse betting online and savings lotteries.
Users can also filter companies depending on whether they are licensed by the GGL or the Gambling Supervisory Authority of the State.
Good to know: The GGL was founded in 2023 as part of plans to streamline gambling regulation, as it had previously been the responsibility of each of the 16 federal states.
Another new feature of the whitelist is the ability to see what kinds of licences the company has, as well as how many, to get a clearer overview of the business.
The GGL emphasised that “with the redesign, GGL is pursuing its goal of channelling the online gambling market and preventing gambling and betting addiction, as consumers can now check directly on the GGL website which gambling providers are legal or illegal”.
Any company not on the whitelist is to be considered illegal and unregulated.
Earlier this month, the GGL held a meeting with state co-ordinators to discuss how to enforce sustainable gambling regulation.