Poker Casino Germany
The heads of the country’s 16 states have green-lighted the legalization of both online casinos and online poker. Now, the new industry is expected to take off in July 2021. Germany’s plans for expanded sports betting kicked off earlier this year with the implementation of an experimental sports betting regulatory regime. Casino Schenefeld Poker Operated by: Casinos Schleswig-Holstein Casino Schenefeld is THE place to be for poker in the region. The casino has action on up to 7 tables depeding on demand and features No Limit Texas Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha. Germany’s online casino and poker fans are celebrating reports that their country will finally lift its ban on products other than pre-match online sports betting. The 350+ casinos and other gambling facilities in Germany are evenly spread throughout the regions. Mostly, a city or town features a single casino while some offer between two and 11. Berlin, the capital of Germany, is the largest gambling area with 11 gambling facilities, more than 770 gaming machines, and over 17 table games.
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Online poker in Germany has been thrown into a state of upheaval following the reveal that new legislation significantly alters the playing parameters there.
Among the regulations are strict table and deposit limits, changes to the seating system and more stringent know-your-customer (KYC) requirements.
The changes go into effect Oct. 15 and are meant to prepare operators and customers for July 2021, when everything becomes law. As of now, it's a state of 'transitional tolerance,' according to the reporting of Poker Industry PRO ($).
What Does it Mean for German Online Poker Players?
The most clear and significant changes for poker players in Germany will be as follows:
- They'll be permitted to play a maximum of four tables simultaneously.
- They won't be able to choose their seats or table select.
- They'll be capped at €1,000 in deposits per month.
- They'll have access to a 'panic button' that will instantly impose a self-ban for 24 hours.
Some sites already have tables caps in place, although usually not for multi-table tournaments, and blind lobbies and seat selection are also already in use at some sites.
The €1,000 deposit limit and the stricter table limits do seem to make an already tough situation for the German professional even more untenable. Because of the country's tax laws, most pros had already long since relocated, but the few that remain would seem likely to eye greener pastures elsewhere at this point.
Recreational players may not have that option, and may find themselves forced to reduce their action as a consequence.
Additionally, players will have to fulfill additional verification requirements, such as providing copies of utility bills or confirming identity via webcam.
What are the Operators Doing?
Already, operators are scrambling to get in line, having been put in a tough spot with the legislation details dropping just weeks before the Oct. 15 deadline. Any who don't risk losing their licenses to operate in the country once the full implementation comes into play next July.
None have announced plans to move players to a ring-fenced pool, but many will be moving their German players to Germany-specific clients that adhere to the features listed above.
Here's what some of the operators have responded with in the past few days:
Ladbrokes, Redbet and Betfair
They have reportedly exited the market, according to a poster on TwoPlusTwo.
partypoker
Players will be migrated to a new client. PokerNews contributor and Germany native Christian Zetzsche reported players have been offered tournament tickets in return for completing additional KYC verification if they got it done before Oct. 15.
PokerStars
German players who are participating in the segregated PokerStars Europe network, which has a fraction of the player pool of the main network, will see their accounts closed. The Spanish license allowed players from outside the ring-fenced locales of France, Spain and Portugal to participate, but that loophole will apparently be closed for the Germans from now on.
Player-to-player transfers have also reportedly been removed.
GGNetwork
GGNetwork has released a manifesto of upcoming changes for German players. They're requiring some additional verification documents and adhering to the posted requirements from the German government.
Players on the Natural8 client will be moved to the GG client and lose access to some Natural8-specific promotions, according to an email sent to players.
888poker
888poker will move players to a Germany-specific client on Nov. 2. They've released a FAQ detailing the changes but promise 'a new range of payment methods and even better promotions.'
Unibet
Unibet players will no longer be able to access the desktop client, but instead will be using a web client that will comply with the regulations.
'We're working on making the desktop client compliant but can't say when it will happen,' a company rep wrote.
Run It Once
Poker Casino Germany Game
Run It Once has temporarily ceased operating in Germany but plans to return.
# Update for Germany # Due to regulatory developments, starting on Thursday, October 15th, Run It Once Poker will n… https://t.co/VjHYwxA6Ff
— Run It Once Poker (@RunItOncePoker)Winamax
Because Winamax pools its players under the regulated European shared liquidity agreement, PRO speculated that it will likely be forced to withdraw from the market.
Zetzsche reported on Thursday morning that, as expect, Germans can no longer access the client. Winamax has apparently applied for a sports betting license, but poker will not be a part of their offering.
German citizens located in a licensed jurisdiction can keep playing but must prove residency via appropriate documentation.
More Stringent Regulations Down the Line?
While the four-table limit might seem to make it tough to multi-table, it would seem difficult to enforce on the surface since players could presumably play four tables at each client they were able to open and run simultaneously.
However, there's a chance that may not be the case, if an email sent from Natural8 so its customers is to be believed. A poster on TwoPlusTwo showed a communication from the company that said 'only one poker client can be played at a time.'
There's already been speculation that operators will be required to pool their operations and references into a central database so everything can be cross-checked and limits on tables and deposits imposed universally.
However, it's unknown if such a system would comply with European data protection laws, so it may wind up being unfeasible. Both a German player discussing the issue with PRO's Nick Jones and several posters on TwoPlusTwo seemed to think that the data protection laws would prevent that from happening.
Furthermore, PRO reported that the €1,000 monthly deposit limit is 'less restrictive' than what's coming with the full implementation of the regulations next July.
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Online PokerGermanyPoker and the Law
A meeting of Germany’s heads of state in Berlin saw lawmakers approve gambling regulations to legalise online poker and casino from 1 July, 2021, as well as deciding on the location of the country’s new regulatory authority.
The Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStv), which expands the nationally regulated igaming market beyond online betting for the first time, must now be ratified by each state parliament and submitted to the European Commission for approval before it can be brought into effect.
According to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), the market will be overseen by a new regulatory authority, established through the GlüNeuRStV, based in Sachsen-Anhalt. Sources in Germany described this decision as “surprising”.
The likes of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse – which is handling the sports betting licensing process set out in the third amended State Treaty on Gambling – were all understood to be interested in hosting this body.
Legal sources said there had not been any substantial changes to the terms of the GlüNeuRStV already made public. This suggests that while sports betting, online poker and online casino games including slots will indeed be permitted, they can only be offered with significant restrictions.
For sports betting, this limits live betting to markets on the final result or next scorer, something that has been criticised by bodies such as operator association the Deutscher Sportwettenverband.
Poker Casino Germany Official
Slots, meanwhile, will be subject to a €1 per spin stake limit, and must be offered separately to table games, with no autoplay function and no jackpots. States will also have an effective veto on whether to allow table games, and could give their lotteries a monopoly over the product.
Poker Casino Germany History
The mandatory deposit limit of €1,000 across all providers first included in the third State Treaty will remain in effect, while operators will not be allowed to advertise between 6am and 9pm. The German association of private broadcasters, Vaunet, has argued that this will not only impact efforts to channel players to legal offerings, but also reduce potential advertising revenue for media businesses.
Before the GlüNeuRStV comes into force, the third State Treaty remains in place, limiting the market to online betting until 30 June, 2021. This came into force in January this year, though the Regional Council of Darmstadt, the body in the state of Hesse responsible for processing licnces, is yet to issue its first approvals.
In February it said it had received 30 applications, with a further 20 operators signalling their intention to apply, and that it was preparing to license a number of operators.
Should all 50 be approved, it said, this would channel up to 99% of sports betting activity into the legal market.
This will be accompanied by enforcement action against operators that have continued to serve German players without applying. Around 100 companies were warned over operating without a licence, prompting 10 to withdraw from the market.