The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) has called on Germany’s coalition government to introduce five concrete measures to combat the black market in the country, including the creation of a specialised investigative authority.
Following the collapse of the German government last November, a deal was reached last week between the Conservative party and Social Democrats to form a coalition.
The new government said it will take action against the black market, a move which has since earned the backing from the trade body.
However, the DSWV said the message remained “vague” and submitted five “concrete measures” to help push back against illegal gambling.
Kicking off with making legal operators more attractive and stronger, the DSWV noted: “This does not mean that regulatory elements must be dispensed with, as state licences and the ability to advertise with them are a value in themselves”.
As well as strengthening regulated products, the trade body urged the government to establish a nationwide specialised public prosecutor’s office with specific responsibility for both online and land-based gambling.
The DSWV added that a prosecutor’s office would also focus on hitting out at offshore operators, given that “many proceedings currently fail due to a lack of jurisdiction or the international dimension of the [operators]”.
Another measure was a call for the government to “follow the money”, which would see financial supervisory authorities tracking finances, including cryptocurrency, and adding criminal tax law and money laundering prevention to “the fight against illegal gambling”.
The penultimate measure would be to make advertising platforms and affiliate networks more accountable for giving visibility to illegal operators, with the Digital Services Act allowing for more opportunities to hold accountable firms promoting illegal content.
It stressed that illegal content “must be actively identified and removed”.
The final call for action urged the new government to advocate uniform standards across the European Union as the “patchwork” of national gambling regulations makes it difficult to impose the law.
In a statement, the trade body said: “The DSWV calls on the new federal government to translate the political will from the coalition agreement into concrete steps – together with the federal states and in dialog with the legal providers.
“A safe and fair gambling market in Germany can only be created through consistent action against illegal offers and the simultaneous strengthening of the regulated market.”
According to a DSWV study in February 2023, 65% of German customers were engaging with the black market – a figure which Germany’s industry regulator, the GGL, disputed at the time and countered with its own research that showed channelisation stood at over 95%.
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Trade body submits quintet of “concrete measures” to newly sealed coalition after parties agree to take action against black market
The post DSWV lays out five pillars to help German government in black market fight first appeared on EGR Intel.