Central Europe
GGL Publishes its 2024 Activity Report
The GGL has published its 2024 Activity Report, which reviews key developments and achievements of the past year. The report explains the approach to combating illegal gambling as well as the activities related to the supervision of legal gambling providers. A key component of the report is also an analysis of market developments in the German gambling market.
Last year, the GGL processed 230 permit and amendment applications and supervised 141 providers. The authority faced a variety of regulatory, legal and supervisory challenges. Major events such as the UEFA European Football Championship and the Olympic Games, in particular, resulted in increased advertising and betting activities, necessitating increased monitoring.
A milestone in 2024 was the court approval of the “Markers of Harm” developed by the GGL. These indicators were developed for monitoring increased deposit limits and were first used in 2024. They serve as an early detection of problematic gambling behaviour. The Mainz Administrative Court confirmed their legal admissibility. The GGL sees this as an important step towards uniform player protection standards.
In 2024, the GGL successfully took action against illegal offerings and was able to make the offerings of numerous illegal providers inaccessible to players in Germany. A total of 231 prohibition proceedings were initiated and over 1700 websites were reviewed. Approximately 450 illegal gambling sites were no longer accessible from Germany due to prohibition orders, and another 657 were no longer accessible due to geo-blocking based on the Digital Services Act (DSA). Payment blocking made deposits and withdrawals for illegal offerings more difficult.
Another success was the adjustment of Google’s advertising guidelines at the initiative of the GGL. Since September 2024, only authorized providers in Germany have been allowed to advertise via Google Ads. This significantly reduced the visibility of illegal offers.
“Our measures are having an impact. Nevertheless, combating illegal offerings remains challenging and requires perseverance and close cooperation with national and international partners,” said Ronald Benter, CEO of GGL.
According to GGL estimates, illegal online gambling accounts for approximately 25% of the total online gambling market.
The legal German gambling market (online and land-based) generated gross gaming revenue (equivalent to players’ losses) of approximately €14.4 billion in 2024—an increase of approximately 5% over the previous year. Tax and levy revenues from gambling amounted to approximately €7 billion.
The providers regulated by the GGL generated approximately four billion euros, which corresponds to a 28% share of the total permitted market.
In the illegal market, the GGL registered 858 German-language gambling websites operated by 212 operators without a license. The GGL estimates that the illegal German-language websites it recorded represent a market volume of between €500 and €600 million. This corresponds to approximately 3% to 4% of the entire legal market (terrestrial and online) and approximately 25% of the legal market for dangerous online gambling, such as virtual slot machines or sports betting.
In 2025, the GGL expects further groundbreaking court rulings on its measures, thus providing even greater legal certainty in its approach. The authority will continue to support the evaluation of the 2021 State Treaty on Gambling and, among other things, further expand advertising monitoring. The further development of the use of safe servers is intended to further improve oversight of the legal gambling market and enable more precise monitoring. A particular focus is on intensive cooperation with national and international authorities to further effectively curb the illegal gambling market. This will target not only the providers themselves, but also technical service providers, advertising partners, and other supporting actors.
Ronald Benter said: “Our stated goal is to make the business model of illegal providers unattractive through a comprehensive package of measures. Combating illegal offerings remains a long-term process that requires strategic action, decisive action, and close interagency cooperation.”
The post GGL Publishes its 2024 Activity Report appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Poland to Classify Gambling Streaming as Serious Crime
The Polish Parliament is considering a landmark draft law to curb harmful digital content, specifically targeting the phenomenon known as “patostreaming.”
Patostreaming is recognised as a new term to categorise criminal offences related to the broadcasting of online violence, abuse and sexually degrading content.
The proposed legislation would criminalize the broadcasting of violence, abuse, and sexually degrading material. Additionally, the bill seeks to outlaw the promotion of online gambling by social media influencers. By amending the Penal Code, supporters aim to bridge the legal gap between digital behaviour and offline criminal acts, ensuring online offenders face the same accountability as those in the physical world.
The bill carries the backing of ministers of Poland’s new Civic Coalition (KO) government, formed in late 2025 by the union of the Citizens Platform (PO), Modern (Nowoczesna) and the Polish Initiative (iPL).
Supporters call for clearer enforcement powers to treat the online broadcasting of serious criminal acts as a punishable offence, aligning digital conduct with crimes already sanctioned offline.
If adopted, the legislation would introduce prison sentences ranging from three months to five years for individuals who publicly share real or staged content depicting serious criminal acts via online platforms.
The same penalty range would also apply to influencers found to be illegally promoting online gambling activity that remains heavily restricted under Poland’s state-controlled gambling regime.
KO ministers have framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to strengthen online protections for Polish youth, citing rising exposure to violent digital content and illegal gambling promotions across social media platforms.
The post Poland to Classify Gambling Streaming as Serious Crime appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Casino-Groups
Sebastian Jarosch Becomes Head of AI at Casinos Groups
Sebastian Jarosch is no longer solely the founder and managing director of Casino Groups as he is also taking on the role of Head of AI, at least on an interim basis. This personnel decision marks a conscious step towards closer integration of corporate management and technological responsibility.
In future, Jarosch will not only be responsible for the strategic direction of the company, but also for the further development of the AI systems that already form a central part of the product landscape. Casino Groups is one of the best-known platforms, which has been using and continuously developing an AI-supported rating system for online casinos for some time.
The decision to anchor the role of Head of AI directly at management level was a conscious one. Artificial intelligence now influences almost all areas of the affiliate business, from content structures and data analysis to regulatory documentation and product logic. Such a development requires decisions that bring together economic objectives, technological possibilities and legal frameworks.
Sebastian Jarosch brings this perspective from years of experience in the iGaming sector. As an entrepreneur, he is familiar with economic dependencies as well as the challenges of increasing regulation. The additional responsibility in the AI area makes it possible to set technological courses more quickly, define priorities more clearly and establish innovation as an integral part of corporate management.
The new role of Head of AI fits in perfectly with current developments in the iGaming market. Increasing regulatory requirements, rising acquisition and content costs, and the growing influence of AI-powered search systems are changing the economic fundamentals of the affiliate business. Visibility is no longer achieved solely through reach, but through authority, consistency and verifiable quality.
With this appointment, Casino Groups is sending a clear signal to the outside world. Affiliate companies are increasingly being valued like media or technology companies. Partners and investors are placing greater emphasis on compliance, data competence and sustainable product development. The bundling of management and AI responsibility strengthens the company’s credibility in these areas.
At the same time, Casinos Groups is positioning itself as a player that does not delegate innovation, but actively drives it forward. The interim nature of the role creates space for further development and adaptation without diluting the strategic ambition. For the industry as a whole, this step underlines that AI expertise has arrived at the management level.
The role of Head of AI forms the organisational foundation for this development. It ensures that technological innovation, editorial standards and economic objectives are interlinked. Casino Groups is thus pursuing a clear line: technology as a tool, people as an authority and quality as a connecting element.
The post Sebastian Jarosch Becomes Head of AI at Casinos Groups appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Birgit Wimmer
Birgit Wimmer Named Chairwoman as NOVOMATIC AG Reshapes Supervisory Board
“As Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board, I look forward to working together with my colleagues on both the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board as we help to successfully shape the Group’s strategic and sustainable development,” says Birgit Wimmer.
Dr. Haig Asenbauer, an internationally experienced lawyer with particular expertise in cross-border M&A transactions, company reorganization, and complex investment structures, was elected to serve as Deputy Chairman. Martina Flitsch retains her position as a Member of the Supervisory Board. She has many years of experience in international group structures and in providing strategic and legal support for corporate investments. Dr. Robert Hofians, a recognized finance and capital markets expert who also has extensive experience in the fields of governance and regulation in his roles as a professor and public accountant, also remains a Member of the Supervisory Board.
As of January 1, 2026, the Supervisory Board of NOVOMATIC AG is now composed as follows:
- Birgit Wimmer, MSc., MBA (Chairwoman)
- Dr. Haig Asenbauer (Deputy Chairman)
- Martina Flitsch (Member)
- Dr. Robert Hofians (Member)
The post Birgit Wimmer Named Chairwoman as NOVOMATIC AG Reshapes Supervisory Board appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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