Webinar report & Conference update

In case you were there, thank you very much for attending this week's Gaming in Germany webinar in which we took a closer look at the current state of Germany's regulated iGaming market.

If you missed it, a full recording is available below.

During the webinar, our speakers – Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner at Melchers Law, and Josh Hodgson, COO at H2 Gambling Capital – addressed the following topics:

·      03:17: Regulatory overview (Dr. Joerg Hofmann)

·      08:43: A new system for increasing player deposit limits? (Dr. Joerg Hofmann)

·      13:05: The evaluation of the 2021 State Gambling Treaty (Dr. Joerg Hofmann)

·      20:53: The impact of a stake-based tax regime on Germany's virtual slots market (Josh Hodgson)

·      25:45: The size of Germany's offshore market (Josh Hodgson)

·      29:23: The impact of regulation on offshore market growth (Josh Hodgson)

·      34:47: Audience Q&A

Of course, much more information will be available at next month's Gaming in Germany Conference, which takes place November 11, 2025, in Berlin.

More on this below!

Reported German virtual slots GGR could decrease dramatically even without any underlying change in actual market conditions

In this guest blog post, H2's Josh Hodgson explains that Germany's current gambling tax regime may contribute to a dramatic but wholly optical decrease in reported virtual slots GGR.

Hodgson illustrates that Germany's 5.03% net tax on stakes must necessarily lead to a return-to-player (RTP) percentage that is much lower than the customary ~95%.

To keep offering a competitive RTP, some Germany-licensed operators have started to take the turnover tax directly from the players as a surcharge, rather than pay it from their own GGR. In this case, a €1 spin would either be accompanied with a 5c surcharge, or a €1 stake could have the 5c taken off, so the effective stake becomes 95c.

However, if the 5.03% stake tax is no longer included in GGR, the total reported GGR will fall by ~44%. Hodgson:

“When adopting this new method, onshore online slots would no longer be a €489m GGR market but rather a €274m market. This change would result in an apparent decline in channelisation, even though in reality, player activity remains unchanged. This adds yet another layer of complexity to one of Europe’s most complex markets.

Read the full article – including a more detailed explanation – here.

Gaming in Germany Conference agenda announced

This year's Gaming in Germany Conference will take place Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in Berlin.

A preliminary version of the event's agenda is now available:

BLOCK I: Regulatory developments

Keynote addressSebastian Buchholz, Head of Licensing and Market Supervision, Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)

Regulatory updateDr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm

The state of Germany's sports betting marketMathias Dahms, President, Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV)

The state of Germany's virtual slots marketDr. Dirk Quermann, President, Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV)

BLOCK II: The threat of the black market

Germany's iGaming market in numbersJosh Hodgson, COO, H2 Gambling Capital

Operators taking a stand against the black marketChristian Heins, Director iGaming, Tipico

Illegal affiliate marketing and the role of Big TechDr. Andreas Ditsche, CEO, iGaming.com

INTERMEZZO: Products & services for the German market

Innovation panel & breakout sessions sneak previewAnton Bargel, Founder, Absolute Live Gaming; Jochen Biewer, Managing Director, Chevron Group; Magno Neiva, Head of Licensing & Regulatory Compliance, Altenar; Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer, Ass. Professor, Univ. of Agder & Attorney, Melchers Law Firm

BLOCK III: Evaluating the 2021 State Gambling Treaty

On effective and proportionate gambling regulationAlex Green, Vice President – Games, ZEAL Network

Regulation the industry should embraceMaarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA

Evaluating the State Gambling Treaty: Towards a common wishlist?Birgitte Sand, former Executive Director Spillemyndigheden; other speakers TBA

Former ZEAL executive and NOGA MD, Peter-Paul de Goeij will serve as the event's day chair.

Stay tuned for more further program updates!

Business operations & breakout sessions

In addition to high-level regulatory and policy-related information, the 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference also offers highly practical information on topics such as KYC, AML, data protection, payment solutions, and much more. Breakout sessions will be hosted by trained experts and are highly interactive.

Get relevant business intelligence to give your day-to-day operations a boost!

Practical information

The 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference takes place Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at the DoubleTree Hilton Ku'damm in Berlin – just 100 meters from the magnificent Kurfürstendamm!

Registration for the 2025 Gaming in Germany Conference is now open. Don't miss it!