Schleswig-Holstein first German state to license online casino games

Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state to grant licences to commercial operators to provide live casino and table games.

Tipico, BluBet, Austrian operator Cashpoint and Skill on Net were all awarded a licence to operate online casino games in the state on 18 September.

Licensees will be required to adopt various player protection requirements, the state’s ministry of the interior said.

“By allowing an attractive online offer, we want to prevent players from taking advantage of illegal offers if they want to play the games they know from casinos online, for example, and thus strengthen legal gambling,” interior minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack said of the policy change.

German states awarded igaming licensing powers
Operators can be licensed to provide online slots and poker in Germany via federal gambling regulator Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL).

But each of Germany’s 16 states has the option to grant online casino table games licences independently of the gambling regulator.

Tipico’s igaming director Christian Heins took to his LinkedIn page to celebrate the licence, especially in his “home state” of Schleswig-Holstein, adding that he is looking to open discussions with casino table-games providers.

Austrian gambling trade body Österreichische Vereinigung für Wetten und Glücksspiel (OVWG) applauded the move, noting a “safe and controlled regulatory framework” will help minimise risks for players.

“The approval of these online casino games could now become a model for other German states,” it said.

Germany’s illegal market
Germany has been battling a growing black market due to regulatory delays and advertising restrictions on licensed operators.

The GGL estimates the black market accounted for 4% of the sector’s overall GGR in 2023 (including land-based), but industry stakeholders argued this was not an accurate representation of the online black market. Local trade body DOCV believes the illegal sites make up around 20% of Germany’s online GGR.