Zona de Azar Germany – Federal Agency Analyzes Advertising Impact in 2026 German Gambling Study

Germany.- June 12th 2024 www.zonadeazar.com Germany’s Federal Gambling Authority, known as the Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), has revealed plans to conduct a comprehensive market evaluation in 2026. This federal agency is presently engaged in scrutinizing the societal impact of Germany’s regulated gambling market, which was established in 2021 under the Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling GlüNeuRStv (GlüStV), introducing a new regulatory framework for online gambling.

A primary focus of this evaluation is to assess the influence of gambling advertisements on the public, particularly those disseminated online and on television. The GGL has contracted the media research group eye square GmbH to conduct an extensive study on this issue, in collaboration with all 16 German federal states.

The ongoing study will primarily investigate whether vulnerable groups are susceptible to the influence of various forms of advertising, including TV commercials, social media ads, as well as bonuses and discounts offered to customers.

The GGL anticipates that the results of this study will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the provisions outlined in the GlüStV 2021. Furthermore, subcontractors have been tasked with empirical investigations, advertising impact analyses, structured literature reviews, and content analyses of common commercials.

Additionally, an independent panel of experts, comprising Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker and Prof. Christian Krebs LL.M., has been appointed to ensure comprehensive coverage of the scientific discourse.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Public Health at the University of Bremen is conducting a separate evaluation of the GlüStV regime and player protection, spurred by a prior study indicating a consistent rate of gambling disorders among individuals aged 18 to 70 since 2021.

Furthermore, economist Günther Schnabl’s study revealed that nearly half of German consumers engaged with illegal gambling offerings. Despite the introduction of GlüStV 2021, only 50.7% of German gamblers were utilizing licensed providers as of March 2023, indicating significant migration towards unlicensed operators.

The GGL has collaborated closely with stakeholders and federal states to address concerns surrounding GlüStV, aiming to introduce a new advertising code for gambling to be adopted into federal law by individual German state authorities.

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com