The current issue of the business magazine “plusminus” deals with online gambling in Germany. As we reported a few days ago, 13 out of 16 federal states have now approved the GlüStV. Accordingly, nothing should stand in the way of legalizing the online gaming sector in the summer of this year. In the current “plusminus” article, the GlüStV is heavily criticized. The impression arises that player protection is neglected. But, is this really the truth? As always, it’s a question of perspective.
Expert criticizes the new GlüStV
The psychologist and addiction researcher at the University of Bremen, Dr. Tobias Hayer, criticized the GlüStV planned for summer in an ARD interview. Overall, player protection is not sufficiently taken into account, so that the dangers for the players are still great. In addition, Dr. Tobias Hayer believes that it is the wrong signal to issue a valid license to the many providers who have been illegally active in the market for years.
“All forms of online gambling will be allowed – including the associated gambling incentives and the risk of addiction. I consider this process to be remarkable in terms of legal policy. Illegal providers (…) are now rewarded with a license for this ”.
Is there a natural human instinct to play?
The proponents of the planned GlüStV refer to a natural instinct to play that everyone has. The challenge is to channel this natural play instinct into a legal market. Because if you do not provide legal offers, the players would migrate to the illegal market. Several weeks ago, we already dealt in an article with the question of whether the decreasing canalisation in Sweden could be a warning signal for Germany.
But other experts do not want to follow this reasoning. Among other things, Ilona Füchtenschnieder-Petry as chairwoman of the Fachverband Glücksspielsucht e. V. on the subject as follows:
“Games and gambling are different dimensions. And even if there may be an instinct to gamble, there is no such thing as an instinct to gamble. “
Gambling addicts in the focus of the ARD contribution
The “plusminus” article was mostly about gambling addicts who have lost large sums of money over the years. For example, the person concerned “Levent” tells in an interview that he lost a total of around 400,000 euros while gambling. Most of it in online casinos, as this is where the attraction is special.
In the further course the “plusminus” editorial team devotes its attention to the influencers. These are called “digital barkers” and it is said that “young people in particular should be lured and animated”.
At the end of the article comes the President of the German Online Casino Association, Dr. Dirk Quermann, at least in writing. When asked about the monthly deposit limit of 1,000 euros per player, Quermann says the following:
“A general stipulation of a maximum limit is (…) to be viewed critically, as it does not reflect the individual circumstances of the players (…). Restrictions (…) must not have the effect that the legal offer is no longer comparable with the black market offer ”.
Nationwide gaming supervisory authority is still far from being fully operational
Meanwhile, the Saarland SPD parliamentary group leader Ullrich Commerçon criticizes that the nationwide gaming supervisory authority is still a long way from being fully operational. Only a few weeks ago we reported that the supervisory authority was currently being established in Halle (Saale). But according to current information, the authority was only fully operational one and a half years after the GlüStV came into force. Commerçon considers this approach extremely dangerous. Furthermore, the SPD politician said that he was very unhappy with the entire GlüStV.
Conclusion
The ARD contribution criticizes the planned GlüStV and points out the risks for problematic players. What is certain is that the new regulation of the online gaming market will not satisfy many participants. But at least the new GlüStV could lead to a first step in the right direction being taken. In the final sentence of the ARD video it says “And, a gigantic legal market will open up from July”. It will be interesting to see how gigantic this legal market will really be and whether the black market can actually be effectively eradicated.
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