Germany's GGL and the UK Gambling Commission sign a declaration of intent in Halle
European gambling regulators met in Halle on 4 November at the invitation of Germany's GGL. The one concrete outcome was a declaration of intent with Britain's Gambling Commission to exchange information.
Who met in Halle
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), the joint gambling authority of Germany's federal states, hosted the European Regulators Roundtable in Halle on 4 November 2026. Representatives of European gambling regulators came together to discuss current developments and the challenges they share in regulating the market. The GGL published its account of the meeting a day later, and casinolizenzde.com covered the meeting in German.
What was discussed
According to the GGL, the talks centred on four subjects:
- tackling illegal gambling on the internet
- the cross-border exchange of relevant information
- the rules for gambling advertising
- new developments such as prediction markets
Blocking illegal websites, raising public awareness and anti-money-laundering requirements were also on the table.
A declaration of intent with the Gambling Commission
The meeting's one concrete outcome, in the GGL's account, was a joint declaration of intent signed by the GGL and the UK Gambling Commission. Both authorities want to deepen their cooperation and set up a structured exchange of information, so that each is better supported in its own supervisory work.
The GGL calls the declaration a first framework for exploring how a deeper exchange of information could work. Further out, a pilot project to share information on illegal gambling websites is under consideration.
Section 284 of the German Criminal Code
Separately, the GGL is still pressing for section 284 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) to be clarified, so that prosecutors can also act against providers based abroad that target users in Germany. As things stand, it says, the provision is often not applied to such providers. The authority has made its case again in a letter to the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ) and intends to approach the ministry once more.
National powers, cross-border sites
Each regulator still acts within its own national powers. In the GGL's words, providers can spread their websites and apps across borders while the authorities responsible for them work inside their own jurisdictions. The roundtable is meant as a forum where regulators pass on what they have learned from their national approaches.
A licence still counts only in the market whose regulator issued it: see the brands licensed in Germany and those licensed in the UK.
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