Germany has plans to implement a new online slots licensing scheme, a plan that will be utilized when it comes to commercial operators. New measures will be put in place to promote social responsibility among operators along with helping to lower gambling-related harm.
July 2021 is the time frame set for the new rules to come into play. From here, the new licenses can be issued. Until July, a policy will be in place that promotes transitional tolerance. Operators who provide services in the gaming market of Germany will be allowed to continue if they adopt the new regulatory changes. Operators who choose to ignore the regulations could be excluded from the new licensing procedure.
Additional Details
From October 15, 2020, websites that wish to apply for licensing next year will need to remove live gaming from its offering. This includes live dealer games. Card games must also be removed as well as additional RNG variations of such games. Operators are not to refer to their sites as ‘casinos’ as this title is restricted for use among land-based operators.
Certain software providers have shown social responsibility and compliance with the country. Such providers include Microgaming. The well-known software provider has over 150 games that will be on offer to players in the German market. games on offer include 9 Masks of Fire by Gameburger Studios and Book of Oz by Triple Edge Studios.
Additional software providers who are compliant with German regulations include ORYX Gaming and Synot Games.
Even More Changes
The new regulatory changes in Germany surrounding the iGaming market are vast. The government is requiring that autoplay must be disabled within all games provided by operators. To further protect players, the government is requiring operators to only allow players to deposit less than €1,000 each month.
A reality check must be provided every hour. After 60 minutes of playtime, a five-minute cool-off period must be provided. After the break, players can resume gaming. Operators must also display a panic button all the time where players can easily exclude themselves from gaming at the casino if they so choose.
Operators will also no longer be allowed to offer free games or demos.