Christian Hochgrebe took over as chairman of the Administrative Board of Germany’s gambling regulator, the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), on 1 July, succeeding Sandro Kirchner as the authority moves into its first review of the country’s gambling treaty since it took effect in 2021.
Hochgrebe is state secretary for interior affairs in the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sport. He replaces Kirchner, state secretary in the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, for Sport and Integration. The handover follows Germany’s federal structure for gambling oversight: regulation is a competence of the 16 Länder rather than the national government, and the chairmanship of the GGL Administrative Board rotates annually between state representatives.
A review of the 2021 treaty
Hochgrebe takes the post as the GGL prepares for the statutory evaluation of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV 2021), the first full assessment of the framework since it entered into force five years ago. The review is expected to examine advertising rules, deposit limits, customer protection duties and other responsible gambling measures.
Two of the treaty’s defining restrictions are not up for reconsideration: the €1 stake limit on online slot spins and the broader product restrictions applied to Germany’s regulated online casino market.
Kirchner cites enforcement gains
Kirchner used his year as chairman to focus on the GGL’s institutional footing. He said the authority had completed key personnel appointments and advanced its digital supervisory capabilities, while intensifying enforcement against illegal gambling, particularly measures targeting hosting providers and payment service providers.
“In the past year we set important personnel decisions within the GGL in motion. We also took further significant steps toward the authority’s digital sovereignty. Measures against illegal gambling could be intensified, specifically in taking action against host providers and in blocking payments. For the legal gambling market, the regulatory framework was adjusted to increase the attractiveness of the legal offering,” Kirchner said.
Pressure from the governing party
The treaty review is also drawing scrutiny from Germany’s governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU). A reform paper from the Economic Council, a business association linked to the CDU, argues the treaty needs legislative changes to support the domestic market’s recovery.
The paper cites H2 Gambling Capital estimates that channelisation into the licensed market sits between 22% and 25%, with a projected fall to 20% by 2030. It also references calculations from the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) that put the number of illegal betting providers at roughly eleven times the number of licensed operators. The council has proposed restructuring the treaty’s legal objectives, introducing a rolling evaluation clause instead of renegotiating the whole treaty at once, and combining licensing across product categories instead of requiring separate approvals for each.
Hochgrebe sets out priorities
Hochgrebe said the GGL enters the new term with governance structures and procedures that are now established, giving it a stable base for further development.
“Going forward, it remains important to actively shape and review current developments and existing structures. The central themes include the upcoming evaluation of the gambling treaty and the resulting adjustments, as well as the continued development of supervision over legal providers and the fight against illegal structures,” Hochgrebe said.
GGL board member Ronald Benter said the authority’s cooperation with the Länder rests on mutual trust and support.
“The cooperation with the Länder so far is based on mutual trust and support. With Mr Hochgrebe as chairman of the Administrative Board, we feel prepared for a year full of challenges,” Benter said.
The evaluation is expected to become one of the most closely watched regulatory exercises in Europe this year, with the CDU’s reform push adding political weight behind changes to advertising, deposit limits and customer protection duties. Whether lawmakers move on those points, while leaving the treaty’s core market restrictions in place, will shape how Germany’s online gambling market performs through 2027.
Source: Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder
