GdP and DAW seek tougher enforcement against illegal gambling

The Gewerkschaft der Polizei (GdP) and the Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft (DAW) have issued a joint position paper calling for stronger enforcement against illegal gambling and for more effective regulation of the legal market. The paper, reported on 28 September 2026, sets out proposals covering enforcement and the regulatory framework for legal operators.

According to the paper, successful action against the black market requires both elements: illegal providers must be pursued consistently, while the regulatory framework must ensure that legal offers channel demand into ordered and controlled paths.

The authors propose enshrining a reversal of the burden of proof in law where the origin of assets is unclear. Where there is a gross disproportion between the value of an asset and the lawful income of the person concerned, assets should be easier to confiscate, the paper argues.

The GdP and DAW also call for the gang-related and commercial staging of unauthorised gambling to be added to the list of offences for which so-called source telecommunications surveillance is permitted.

Jochen Kopelke of the Gewerkschaft der Polizei told the dpa news agency that police, regulatory authorities and private legal operators must act together against illegal gambling. He said the illegal business in back rooms, cellars and tea houses must be put under pressure within the rule of law and that enforcement must be used effectively.

DAW board spokesman Georg Stecker said combating illegal gambling is a task for society as a whole. He said enforcement against illegal offers must be strengthened and regulation of the legal market made more effective and demand-oriented, and that consistent prosecution and a strong legal offer must work together to push back the black market and protect consumers and the rule of law.

The source gives no indication of any legislative timetable or of a response from government or regulators to the paper.