The Association of German Gaming Machine Manufacturers (Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft) has once again stated its support for a major liberalisation of the country's gambling market.

Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft chief executive Georg Stecker said that instead of legalising a single product vertical or channel (such as sports betting or iGaming), regulation for all gambling products had to be rethought.

Speaking at the Gaming Machine Industry Summit in Berlin, Stecker argued that verticals such as lottery, casinos, and commercial slot machines should be subject to new controls. 

He blamed the current restrictive controls for a black market that accounts for an estimated 20 per cent of all gambling in Germany, describing this as "the result of failed regulation."

"Only a coherent regulatory framework of all game forms, based on strict quality standards, can limit the black market, protect consumers in a sustainable way and ensure legal gambling has a future," Stecker explained. "It makes no sense to regulate gambling halls by distance while playing online anywhere.

"The honourable solution should not be the stupid one," he continued. "Only with a significantly strengthened legal offering can the state fulfil its channelling mandate - only in this way will the flow of black market products be dried up."  Source: GamingIntelligence

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