GGL Wants More Flexibility in Gambling Laws to Meet the Challenge from the Black Market

The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States, the federal gambling regulator in Germany, known simply as GGL, has urged more flexible rules around gambling, arguing that the sector is threatened by a constantly evolving black market, which is expanding at a rapid clip. GGL Publishes Five-Year Review, Calls for More Flexible Framework The regulator, which employs an estimated workforce of 100 people, is looking to adapt the marketing conditions to the threat of the illegal gambling market, which has been on the rise. The GGL has published a five-year review of the market and has called for stepping up efforts against illegal operators and their backers. In a translated statement, GGL member of the board Ronald Benter had this to say, commenting at length about the current regulatory framework and what needed to be done to make the licensed market more competitive and safer: “Five years ago, there was a political mandate. Today, there is a fully operational, nationwide specialised authority. We had to recruit staff, build structures and expertise, and simultaneously shape a completely new area of ​​regulatory oversight in practice.” GGL Also Steps Up Action Against Illegal Gambling Benter has noted that over the past five years, the regulator has gathered specialist knowledge and technological capabilities to supervise the iGaming market. The GGL also noted that it has dramatically stepped up its enforcement against black market operators, from 68 in 2022 to 287 in 2025, and with more than 6,300 websites reviewed by the end of 2025. The number of checks, however, is not how the GGL gauges its success; it focuses instead on how many enforcement actions have been successfully taken.