Proposed Online Gambling Model in Germany Could Impose a Limit of €1 Bet Per Spin on Slots

With the news that Germany’s 16 states will approve the online casino and poker legislations, comes another piece of info that concerns betting limits that could impact operators severely.

German state lawmakers, sources say, have split the casino regulations between virtual slot machines and online casino games licenses in the draft of the legislation (Glücksspielneuregulierungsstaatsvertrag).

Slot license provides operators with an opportunity to provide an online equivalent of a land –based gaming arcade. The restrictions mentioned apply to betting stakes, with €1 being the max limit on slots!

No Jackpots and No Autoplay

The future regulatory model for gambling has got its consensus in Germany…

…however, it may not be to everyone’s liking, as these suggested online slots controls may harm operators in particular.

Beside the low maximum bet limit, the legislation proposed that each spin must last at least 5 seconds, that there are NO autoplay functions allowed and that no slot jackpots must be offered by operators!

This is, effectively, a “transplant” of arcades and pubs gaming machines regulations to online realm.

What’s it Mean For Each State?

Defined as “virtual bankholder games,” online casino games like roulette and blackjack will also be affected by these changes. Live dealer games, that is iterations of the said games, are also considered.

A first major breakthrough in negotiations happened on January 22nd when the state of Schleswig-Holstein proposed states can develop their own controls for online casino.

That would also mean one online casino license per state, although the maximum per state could be three licenses – the same amount as three land-based venues in Hesse.

Sources of these info and analysis have said that it will be interesting to see who will obtain the licenses, if a monopoly situation is not approved by the state. They added it could be handed to operators of land-based casinos.

If the regulations were unchanged, the matter of fact that there is a huge demand for online slots would lead to a catastrophic consequences.

“The Prime Ministers still have this option [to change regulations]. If they simply approve the draft, they haven't understood what this is about. The suggested restrictions and supervision measures are sufficient - as demonstrated in other European countries - to provide effective player protection and market-oriented regulation.”

Source:

“Germany: Operators could face EUR1 slot stake limit”, igamingbusiness.com, January 23, 2020.