The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) has renewed calls for changes to gambling regulations after its members lost market share to illegal operators in 2023.
According to DSWV, data from 2023 showed a 5.4% drop in betting compared to the previous year.
The total volume bet reached 7.7 billion euros. Still, marketing restrictions imposed by the State Treaty on Gaming, in force since 2021, contributed to the drop.
Impositions such as the ban on live betting mean that unlicensed operators offer more attractive proposals to players.
Sports betting should increase with the start of the Euro
Sports betting has been increasing in anticipation of this year’s Euro Cup. Therefore, the association calls on the Joint State Gaming Authority (GGL) to review current regulatory policy and opposes bans on gaming advertising.
“The migration of many players to illegal offers is an important reason for the decline”, says the entity’s official note.
“Since the State Treaty on Gaming came into force in 2021, regulated providers have been unable to keep up with the extensive betting offers on the parallel market,” the DSWV statement said.
Therefore, restrictions on advertising are also a point of concern. The State Treaty on Gaming prohibits live betting and betting on non-sporting events.
But DSWV argues that a total advertising ban would only do harm, as it would make it difficult to differentiate between legal and illegal operators. In this case, the biggest loser would be consumers.
Thus, despite regulatory attempts to direct players to licensed operators, research has revealed that only half of online betting in Germany is carried out with licensed operators.
In other words, almost 30% of bets are placed with non-licensed suppliers in the European Union (EU) and almost 20% with unlicensed offshore suppliers.
Therefore, DSWV highlights the importance of advertising in differentiating legal and illegal operators, aiming to protect players and promote fair competition.
