German betting trade association Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV) has urged authorities and regulators to take more action against illegal gambling operators in the country to prevent wider spread problem gambling.
The DSWV made the call on Germany’s inaugural Gambling Addiction Action Day, which has been organised by the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) in an effort to promote the importance of preventing and tackling gambling addiction.
The trade association said all of its members are licensed and have in place systems to help protect players from gambling-related harm. However, those operating in Germany without approval are not bound by licensing requirements and as such do not offer these measures.
The DSWV said that targeting operators in the black market and those without a licence will help to cut gambling harm among German consumers.
“The black market in gambling and sports betting has reached gigantic proportions in recent years,” DSWV president Mathias Dahms said. “We were able to identify more than 400 unlicensed websites where customers from Germany can easily register and play and that might just be the tip of the iceberg.”
The repeated call comes shortly after the establishment of the Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), the country’s new federal gaming regulator, which launched as part of Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling.
The DSWV has previously spoken out in support of the GGL, but warned that the new body will face “major challenges” in terms of tackling black market activity.