Germany’s sports betting association DSWV called for a nationwide prosecutor specialising in illegal gambling, alongside measures to strengthen the licensed market. The proposals include tracing cross-border financial flows, action against illegal gambling promotion and more harmonised gambling rules.
The proposals could shape enforcement priorities and conditions for licensed operators in Germany.
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Lotto Hessen management spokesperson Martin Blach said Germany needs consistent enforcement against illegal gambling, in an interview. He said the GGL estimates the online black market at around 23%, while other studies put it above 50%. Investigators suspect five people offered online gambling commercially and as a group from July 2021; stakes for July 2021 to the end of 2023 allegedly totalled €5.8bn.
Martin Blach, spokesperson for the management of Lotto Hessen, said Germany needs consistent enforcement against illegal gambling, in an interview with games & business reported on 16 October 2026. Blach said a state treaty on gambling is of little use if the state does not act against illegal play, according to the report.
Germany’s federal commissioner for addiction and drugs, Hendrik Streeck, called for stronger enforcement against illegal gambling and possible changes to criminal law. He urged closer cooperation between the federal government and Länder, while the Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft voiced support for the OASIS self-exclusion system. The report says about 1.2 million people in Germany have a gambling disorder and three million show problematic behaviour.
Germany’s federal commissioner for addiction and drug issues, Professor Hendrik Streeck, called for stronger player protection and action against illegal gambling operators. He warned about gambling addiction’s serious consequences during a nationwide awareness day.
Germany's federal commissioner for addiction and drug issues, Professor Hendrik Streeck, used the nationwide action day against gambling addiction to call for stronger player protection and for consistent action against illegal gambling providers. Streeck, who is patron of the action day, said prevention and help for those affected belong to effective player protection alongside enforcement against illegal gambling, according to his office.
DOCV called for nationwide online casino licensing and stronger enforcement in Germany following raids on 8 September. Investigators allege five suspects operated unlicensed gambling platforms that processed approximately €5.86bn in stakes between July 2021 and the end of 2023. Authorities seized assets worth approximately €82m.
Hesse minister-president Boris Rhein called for a more competitive legal gambling offer at an industry event in Wiesbaden on 2 September. The DAW said almost one in two installed money-winning machines in Germany was illegal; the HMV said gaming-hall concessions in Hesse had fallen by almost 50% since 2012.