Online casinos in 2030 - what will change?

Online gambling was illegal in Germany for many years. Since 2021, at least online slots and some online casino games have been legal. Many gambling enthusiasts criticize the fact that the situation has not improved as a result of legalization - on the contrary. But where will the journey take us in the coming years and do online casinos even have a realistic chance of survival under the current conditions?

Just over a week ago, we at GambleJoe reported that CrazyBuzzer is offline and has now merged with SlotMagie. In this context, we also asked ourselves whether the first phase of market consolidation could be imminent. The fact is that many players are not satisfied with the general conditions in German online casinos. In particular, the high tax burden in conjunction with the player protection regulations, which are perceived as excessive, deprive many a player of the joy of playing.

Do German online casinos even have a chance of survival?

While some experts are still of the opinion that the player protection regulations are not strict enough, most players have been calling for help and complaining for a long time. They are not satisfied with the general conditions in German online casinos and are annoyed by the minimum playing time, deposit limit, maximum stake, autospin ban and the like.

Gambling researcher Dr. Tobias Hayer from the University of Bremen, on the other hand, wants players to be even better protected and is calling for a significantly lower deposit limit of 300 euros per month. Unfortunately, an additional restriction of gambling freedoms could lead to more and more gamblers turning their backs on the legal market and increasingly gambling on the black market again. Here, much more liberal player protection regulations often apply, if at all, whereby users are liable to prosecution if they participate in the game with real money. In Germany, offers are only permitted if a permit has been issued by the Joint Gaming Authority of the federal states (GGL).

GGL: View the authority's official whitelist here!

It is therefore questionable how long German online casinos will be able to survive under the current conditions. Not only the players, but also the operators are largely dissatisfied with the current situation. They complain about excessive bureaucracy, high costs and, on the other hand, comparatively too few players who are willing to play under the current conditions.

Online casinos in 2030 - what will (have to) change in the next few years?

Basically, all parties involved - players, providers and the state - have an interest in enabling legal online gambling under attractive conditions. The alternative would be for players to switch to the illegal market, where the state would not receive any tax revenue and players would not be protected. It would therefore be desirable from various perspectives to change the current situation in order to create a more attractive market environment.

For example, it would be conceivable to abolish the maximum stake of one euro per spin. This would only be logical, as it is already possible to increase the cross-provider deposit limit from 1,000 euros to up to 10,000 euros per month under strict conditions.

The autoplay ban could also be abolished or at least softened. Players are already making do with autoclickers in some cases, so a loophole has already been successfully found. Theoretically, for example, it could be stipulated that an autoplay feature would only be permitted if a maximum of 50 or 100 spins were played consecutively.

It is also difficult to explain the fact that progressive jackpots such as the Mega Moolah slot are not permitted in this country. While such jackpots exist in the lottery and have never been questioned, the State Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV) does not allow even a progressively increasing jackpot of several hundred euros to be offered.

A key issue that will become increasingly important in the future is the so-called "slot tax". Up to now, virtual slot games have been subject to a tax of 5.3% of the bet - significantly more than in other licensed markets. The payout ratio is highly relevant for all players. After all, everyone wants to rake in as many wins as possible and not have to worry about increasingly long dry spells. It is therefore definitely up to politicians to improve the situation for gamblers.

Conclusion

Nobody has a crystal ball, but it seems clear that something will change in the German online gaming market over the next five years. However, it remains to be seen whether there will actually be changes in the interests of users. At the moment, there are no concrete political efforts to abolish regulations such as minimum playing time, maximum stake or autospin bans. The controversial slot tax has obviously not yet been revised either.

The fact is, however, that dissatisfaction among gamblers continues to grow and this will ultimately increase the pressure on politicians. Otherwise, by 2030, hardly any players will be playing in German online casinos and will either opt for the black market or not play at all. Both scenarios would lead to billions in lost tax revenue for the state.

Source of the image: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/universum-glaskugel-hand-sterne-3856174/