Latest German Gambling Treaty Needs Urgent Ratification

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Feb 3, 2021

Saxony-Anhalt finance minister sounds warning that Interstate Treaty on Gambling could lapse if not signed off soon.

The finance minister for the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, André Schröder, warned this week that unless the fifteen other German lande (states) do not ratify the latest Interstate Treaty on Gambling by January 1 next year, the agreement will lapse.

InfoPowa readers may recall that the treaty is an attempt to unify gambling reform across Germany in order to better protect the consumer, and that the revised treaty of 2012 allowed for the issue of 20 online sports betting licenses, which were issued two years later.

Major online sports betting firms successfully contested the cap on licenses through the courts when they were not among those accepted, and early this year the licensing cap was doubled to 40, attracting interest from some 35 international operators.

Speaking to German reporters this week, minister Schröder said that the governments of all 16 German lande had agreed on the treaty and its March 2017 amendments after some debate on debts and enforcement arrangements, and emphasised that it was now necessary that every state formally ratify the treaty before the January 1 2018 deadline.
“If the ratification fails in individual states, then these regulations cannot be applied nationwide as of January 1, 2018,” Schröder explained. “This would be unfortunate, because then the current regulations simply would continue, along with problems around execution.

“That is why we are very much campaigning for the states to ratify. If this is not the case, we need to consider how we can deal with the continuity of current regulations and what we can do to protect consumers.”

Brian Cullingworth

Infopowa news was a staple of Casinomeister’s news from 2000 until 2019. Brian Cullingworth was the main writer, contributor, and was one of the most knowledgeable persons I have ever known involved in the online casino industry.

We first met in January 2001 at the ICE in London where I observed him going booth to booth interviewing online casino, software, and licensing jurisdiction representatives. Brian was also heavily involved with our forum as “Jetset“, he was involved as an informal consultant to eCOGRA, the OPA, and was a player advocate who assisted countless aggrieved players with his connections to industry folks. He also published “Casino Cautions” via Infopowa news for quite a number of years. These can be found in our news archives.

His passing in February 2019 was a dark day for us. He will be forever missed.


Latest News

Casinomeister Went Down, But Not Out — The Website’s Back in Action

Casinomeister website experienced some downtime, and as always, we’re here to tell you exactly what happened.

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Casinomeister Went Down, But Not Out — The Website’s Back in Action

Extra Love From Pragmatic Play: Win Up to 4 Amazon Vouchers

This Valentine’s Pragmatic Play has brought extra love for Casinomeister players. Cast your line and win up to 4 Amazon vouchers!

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Extra Love From Pragmatic Play: Win Up to 4 Amazon Vouchers

Lottomart Celebrates Casinomeister Award Win With an Exclusive Bonus

Lottomart won the Casinomeister Award for the best customer service in 2024, and they decided ot mark this occasion with an exclusive promo.

By Filip Colovic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Lottomart Celebrates Casinomeister Award Win With an Exclusive Bonus

It’s That Time of the Year Again: Casinomeister Awards 2024

It’s that time of the year again! Casinomeister Awards for 2024 have been announced, and we give you all the highlights.

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 5, 2025
It’s That Time of the Year Again: Casinomeister Awards 2024

New Rating System for Sweepstakes Social Casinos — Now Live!

Casinomeister has a introduced a detailed new rating system for sweepstakes casinos, making it easier to find the right place to play.

By Filip Colovic, Last updated Feb 3, 2025
New Rating System for Sweepstakes Social Casinos — Now Live!