Online gaming: Punching ball of German politics
More than 150 leading representatives of the national and international gaming industry met during the World Regulatory Briefing in Frankfurt. One of the core topics of the conference was the impact of two coexisting regulatory regimes in Germany: The Gambling Reform Act of Germany’s most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein and the new Interstate Treaty on Gambling of the other 15 German states.
Among other reputable speakers, the rapporteur of the EU parliament’s report on online gambling, Jürgen Creutzmann (MEP) delivered a speech, criticizing the new Interstate Treaty, signed by all German states except Schleswig-Holstein. From his point of view, the EU Commission did not give a “green light” for the new Interstate Treaty on gambling. Instead, he claims that, “there will be numerous complaints and the EU Commission will reserve its right to pursue a treaty violation proceeding against Germany”. Creutzmann added, “I don’t understand why states refuse to generate tax revenues by providing attractive licensing and market conditions to online gaming providers.”
German gaming law expert Dr. Wulf Hambach concurred with Mr. Creutzmann’s statements and pointed to France as a negative example for a market unfriendly regulatory regime: “Last year, France lost more than 70000 players from the regulated market to the black market, since conditions on the regulated market are not attractive to players.”
Read the full version of the German article including Mr. Creutzmann’s statement here.
