It has been known for a few months that a transitional regulation will apply until the new State Treaty on Gaming comes into force. Fortunately for all online casinos, this is a very positive transitional arrangement, the details of which have now been made public. However, some of these conditions are difficult to implement or result in lost sales.
Online gambling providers have to comply with numerous rules
In order for an online casino to be able to offer its services now without having to face any consequences, it has to comply with some regulations. It is required that the online casino is based in a country that is a member of the EU. Alternatively, a country that is a signatory to the European Economic Area is accepted. Another requirement is: The casino website must be presented in German.
The next condition could be difficult for some providers to implement: It must be ensured that excluded players have no chance. The same applies to minors. There is still no central register to check who belongs to this group of people. For this reason, every online casino has to develop its own ideas about how banned players and minors cannot get access.
Another security measure is that every player must open an account. You cannot play without this. In order to be able to register this account, all complete personal data must be provided. All processes must be listed in detail in the player account and each player must be given the right to close his account.
Player protection must be guaranteed
This point is basically already observed by most online casinos: The players must be informed that not only roulette, but also the slots carry a risk. Gambling can be addictive at any time, which is why the casinos make some suggestions on how to play responsibly. Most casinos also offer the option of setting your own betting limit. The state is stepping up again and regulating a monthly betting limit of 1,000 euros in the new State Treaty on Gambling. However, this amount may only be deposited once and would have to be distributed across several online casinos.
A positive aspect of the limit set by the contract is the fact that it can be increased upon request. In this case, the player must also define a personal loss limit. Thanks to the loss limit, the player should not be able to lose more than 20 percent of his stake.
In addition, a few players may receive a personal limit between 10,000 and 30,000 euros. For this, the person concerned must be at least 21 years old and the number of privileged players per casino may not exceed one percent of all players. In order to implement this rule, the online casino must again develop its own monitoring methods.
Another point could be difficult to implement: A bet on the slot machine should cost a maximum of one euro. Such a fact could upset not only providers but also gamers.
Certain games are prohibited during the transition period
Unfortunately, there is also bad news related to the transition period. Certain games are banned until the middle of next year. These games include the popular table games such as roulette, baccarat and other variants. These games must be strictly separated from other games on the casino site. Anyone who does not adhere to this rule will lose their temporary permission to offer their services. As a result, no license could be issued next year either.
In practice, every online casino would have to provide two different sites: one for slots and one for table games. This is the only way to guarantee that a player does not have access to the table games.
The next few months will show to what extent the affected casinos adhere to the set rules or not. It could be difficult for players to find the right online casino now. This is also due to the fact that the German online casino association does not agree with some regulations. The main problem is that the separation between slots and table games should still apply in the next year. Why this is so has not yet been explained. After all, slot machines represent the same financial risk as roulette or poker. Most online casinos limit the profit limit for free spins. If a cash bonus is used for table games, there is no upper limit on winnings. One can only hope that this condition will change.
