German regulator expresses gratitude to the public after receiving 1,500 reports concerning black market operators.

The GGL made an announcement on Tuesday (24 September), just ahead of Germany’s nationwide action day against gambling addiction, scheduled for Wednesday.

Since the beginning of 2023, the regulator has received 1,500 reports, with roughly half relating to suspected illegal online gambling and the other half focused on potential irregularities at licensed online providers.

In addition to public reports through its whistleblower portal, the GGL conducted its own investigations. The authority took full control of Germany’s gambling regulations at the start of 2023, having been established under the Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, which came into effect in July 2021.

As part of its efforts in 2023, the GGL investigated over 1,860 websites and 483 gaming providers and advertisers for illegal gambling activities and non-compliant marketing. The regulator initiated 113 prohibition proceedings, of which 63 resulted in providers ceasing their operations or advertisers pulling their campaigns.

Offenses identified in licensed operations included suspected violations of payout procedures, unauthorized advertising, and failures to comply with deposit limits across multiple providers.

Ronald Benter, a GGL board member, acknowledged the public’s role in tackling illegal operators and ensuring that regulated companies adhere to legal guidelines.

“This initiative is crucial for raising awareness of gambling addiction risks,” Benter said. “We share the goal of preventing gambling and betting addiction. The GGL’s mission is to enforce strict player protection rules and combat illegal offerings. Public reports via our whistleblower system are vital to this effort.”

Germany continues to grapple with black market gambling. While the GGL reported that the black market accounted for just 4% of the nation’s gambling industry’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2023, the Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV) disputed this, claiming that offshore operators represent around 20% of the online GGR.

This dispute follows a 2023 University of Leipzig study, which found that only 50.7% of online gambling activity was channeled through legal operators.

Although the GGL has found success using its whistleblower system, it admitted that incomplete information from reports often hampers investigations.

In response, the regulator published a guide on how to effectively use the whistleblower system, encouraging the public to submit detailed and specific information.

“Please continue to use our whistleblower system to report violations with as much detail as possible,” Benter added. “Your information is essential in our fight against illegal gambling and ensuring player protection.”