German gambling regulation has failed – paradigm shift inevitable – consumer protection as the basis of a new regulatory approach

Berlin, 23 February 2015. The European media platform EurActiv has published a collective volume on the topic of gambling and consumer protection in their publication series YellowPaper. In the dossier developed in cooperation with the Bundesverband privater Spielbanken (BupriS), (in English: Federal Association of Private Casinos), and the Schmidt-Gruppe – a company of the amusement machine industry – 17 renowned authors speak about the situation of gambling and gambling regulation in Germany. The dossier has been published in German and English in each case.

According to Martin Reeckmann (BupriS chairman), “With regard to its content, it is about the replacement of the previous gambling regulation by a practical concept based on consumer protection. Three gambling state treaties during the past eight years demonstrate impressively that a paradigm shift is necessary highlighting the gambling regulation from head to toes, that is, the protection of players.” As a whole, the YellowPaper embodies a new quality of information about the gaming industry. Robert Hess, manager of the gambling locations of the Schmidt-Gruppe emphasizes: “For the first time a comprehensive picture of large parts of the gambling industry is conveyed and interested decision-makers and multipliers from all sectors of society are given comprehensive material for work. This also opens new possibilities to the discussions about the gambling regulation.”

Reorientation towards consumer protection

The new and special nature of dealing with the topic in the YellowPaper is the focus on consumer protection as a starting point and objective of the gambling regulation. Some authors illustrate it by the fact that consistent gambling regulation will advance the canalisation of game demand in trustworthy, clear and attractive offers. According to Reeckmann as a representative of the casinos: “The objective lies in creating framework conditions under which war can finally be declared successfully to the almost uninhibited spread of illegal gaming offers. That is both in the interest of the consumers as well as of the revenue board. In this respect, the YellowPaper is also an offer to the political decision-makers to analyse the existing regulation deficits establishing the consumer protection as the key component for the further development of the gambling regulation.

Variety of topics

The topic range of the 17 articles of the YellowPaper “Gambling and consumer protection” ranges from the description of the current situation of the gaming industry in Germany to the confrontation with the previous regulation attempts to the detailed explanations that gambling and the protection of players will only have a common future if we succeed in convincing the political decision-makers in Germany and Europe of the indispensible unit of gambling and consumer protection. The brochure reveals at several points that the future of the legal areas of an entire sector depends on this insight and the corresponding regulatory reorientation.
The authors distinguish themselves by longstanding experience in the gaming business and a deep understanding of the complexity of the topic. A great number of them belong to the opinion leaders of the debate on the gambling regulation in Germany, whereby the present YellowPaper can be regarded as the standard reference for gambling in Germany.

The YellowPaper “Gambling and consumer protection” is available as a PDF-file and can be downloaded via this link:

About the Bundesverband privater Spielbanken in Deutschland e.V.

The Bundesverband privater Spielbanken in Deutschland e.V. (BupriS), founded in October 2008, represents the interests of state-licensed casinos from Berlin, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.
BupriS stands up for a reliable regulation of all games of chances, aimed at consumer protection. This attitude is adopted by the Federal Association of Casinos at both German and European level towards public, politics, state and industry.