Germany’s top sports betting trade group wants gambling rules changed. Members lost market share to illegal operators last year.
DSWV or The German Sports Betting Association said that there’s a 5.4% decrease in stakes in 2023 compared to 2022. Black market accounts for around 50% of German online gambling activity according to the survey it recently commissioned.
DSWV stated that the drop in total staked to €77.bn or €8.3bn/€6.6bn. This was due to restrictions on marketing activities imposed by the State Treaty on Gambling. It came into force in 2021. Ban on live setting has been restricted, meaning unlicensed operators can offer a more attractive proposition to players.
DSWV is concerned that restrictions on licensed operators will simply mean more players migrating to black market. This is in line with sports betting set to surge ahead of Germany staging this year’s UEFA European Championships.
It is therefore calling for action from the GGL or Joint Gaming Authority of the States to realign current regulatory policy. In connection to this, it opposed calls for a gambling advertising ban.
DSWV explained that the decline is mainly due to players switching to illegal gambling sites. Regulated providers have struggled to compete with the black market’s wide range of betting options. This is because the State Treaty on Gambling limits regulated providers’ betting offerings.
They added that the association is calling for attractive framework conditions for regulated providers. They want these conditions to help the providers remain competitive.
The State Treaty on Gambling prohibits live betting and betting on anything other than approved sports and horse racing.
This includes esports, financial betting, and secondary lotteries. Monopoly reserves pool betting.
DSWV believes that an all-out ban on advertising will confuse consumers.
Some support this ban to prevent the promotion of illegal operations. Draconian rules have already imposed blackout periods on online and TV advertising at certain times of the day.
