Berlin is In: A State Ratification in Germany's City-State Illuminates a Progressive Regulation Model
Published October 6, 2020 by Lee R
Accepting what has already been approved is the task at hand in Germany, and Berlin leads the way.
The state of Berlin has taken a big step towards ratifying the German state.
The Approval
The step comes in the form of an approval from the city-state's Minister of the Interior for the German capital Berlin of the federal regulatory framework for gambling--paving the way for city mayor Michael Müller to sign the legislation and become one of the first state managers to ratify the German regulation treaty.
Accepted Draft
The current draft of the Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV) was approved by Minister Andreas Geisel at a Berlin Senate hearing on 15 September.
The Approvals Process
The legislation still has to be presented to the city’s House of Representatives and ratified by the Berlin parliament. This is the exact same process the GlüNeuRStV must pass through in each of Germany’s 16 states, before being signed by each respective head of state, and ratified by each parliament.
The Ratification Measures
For the German regulation model to come into effect, ratification approval by 13 of the 16 states is necessary, with a current target date of 30 June, 2021.
Timeline
The German states are set to implement the Treaty starting 15 October 2020, within a transitional regime framework permitting operators to offer online sports betting, poker and slots.
The model is making the rounds for ratification after all state Minister-Presidents agreed to allow iGaming businesses operations that adhere to GlüNeuRStV player protection and prevention measures.
Operator Limits
Operators will be prohibited from offering tablegames during this period, and are subject to specific remaining restrictions set out in the regulations including a €1 per spin cap on slot stakes and in-lay wagering limits.
Safe Play Limits
A €1,000 spending limit will apply to all players, with select players eligible to have the cap raised to €10,000; with an even smaller number of no more than 1% of an operator’s customers eligible for application for spend cap of €30,000.
Those accepted for the high cap will be subject to enhanced regular due diligence checks, and limited to losses of no more than 20% of their deposit.
Outlook
As long as these guidelines remain transparent and understandable to operators, Germany's long-awaited regulation model in the EU's largest jurisdiction looks ready to launch and sustain.
