Play’n GO joins German casino group, takes aim at black market
Play’n GO has joined Germany’s leading online casino trade association as the slots developer pushes for changes it says are needed to make the country’s regulated gambling market more competitive with illegal operators.
The Swedish-founded supplier has become a member of the Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV), or German Online Casino Association, which represents businesses operating within Germany’s regulated online casino sector.
Play’n GO’s membership was unanimously approved, with Melanie Hainzer, the company’s Market Owner DACH, to represent the supplier within the association.
However, the announcement was accompanied by unusually direct criticism of the current state of Germany’s regulated online gambling market.
Play’n GO Chief Commercial Officer Magnus Olsson said licensed operators were being forced to compete against offshore gambling companies that do not face the same regulatory restrictions, taxes or player-protection requirements.
“Germany should be one of Europe’s great regulated online gaming markets, but commercially the current position is not good enough. Licensed operators are being asked to compete with illegal businesses that do not pay the same taxes, follow the same rules or meet the same standards of player protection,” Olsson said.
“There is also a fundamental disagreement about the true scale of the problem. Industry estimates place channelisation between 30 and 50 per cent, while the official position is significantly higher. Whichever figure one accepts, too much activity is taking place outside the regulated market, and that should concern everyone who wants German regulation to succeed.”
Germany introduced its current nationwide online casino framework under the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021, which permits regulated online slots and poker but imposes some of Europe’s tighter restrictions on licensed products.
Online slots are subject to measures including a €1 maximum stake per spin and a minimum five-second spin duration. Germany also operates the LUGAS monitoring system and cross-operator deposit controls.
The regulated market has consequently faced a long-running debate over channelisation — the proportion of German online gambling taking place with licensed rather than offshore operators.
Play’n GO said making the legal market attractive enough for players to choose it was an essential part of player protection.
“Good regulation must protect players, but it must also create a licensed market that players actively choose to use. If regulation makes the legal offer materially less attractive while illegal operators remain easily accessible, it risks pushing customers in precisely the wrong direction,” Olsson said.
“We know that Germany has enormous potential. Play’n GO has made long-term decisions in support of the regulated market, including walking away from substantial unlicensed business. We did that because we believe sustainable commercial growth and strong regulation must go together.
“Now the collective priority must be to improve channelisation, confront black-market activity and give responsible, licensed operators a fair opportunity to compete.”
The DOCV campaigns on issues including gambling regulation, player protection, enforcement against illegal operators and creating competitive conditions for Germany’s licensed online casino industry.
Play’n GO said joining the organisation would give it a more direct role in discussions with German regulators, policymakers and other industry stakeholders.
The supplier has increasingly positioned itself as an advocate of nationally regulated online gambling markets and says it does not supply its games to operators targeting jurisdictions where online casino gambling is prohibited.
Play’n GO Head of Government Affairs Shawn Fluharty said membership of the DOCV would involve actively pushing for regulatory changes rather than simply adding the company’s name to an industry organisation.
“The test of effective advocacy is not whether the industry is heard. The test is whether it helps produce better outcomes. In Germany, that means stronger channelisation, meaningful action against illegal operators, fair competition for licensed businesses and regulation that protects players without driving them towards the black market,” Fluharty said.
“No single company, regulator or association can deliver that alone. Progress requires licensed operators, suppliers, policymakers and enforcement bodies to work from a shared understanding of the problem and accept responsibility for solving it.”
Play’n GO supplies a portfolio of more than 400 games, including Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Moon Princess, across regulated markets worldwide.
Its decision to join the DOCV puts the supplier directly into Germany’s continuing debate over whether the country’s strict regulatory model is succeeding in moving players from offshore gambling sites into the legal market.
