Germany’s iGaming Crossroads: Gaming in Germany Conference 2026 Sets Berlin Agenda

Germany’s iGaming Crossroads: Gaming in Germany Conference 2026 Sets Berlin Agenda

The Gaming in Germany Conference has revealed the initial programme for its 2026 event, and the timing could hardly be more significant. Scheduled for Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at the DoubleTree Hilton Ku’damm in Berlin, the conference arrives just weeks before Germany’s statutory evaluation of the GlüStV 2021 — the Interstate Treaty on Gambling — is due to land. It also coincides with Austria’s most serious attempt in years to open its online casino market to competition.

The organisers published the first draft of the agenda on 7 September 2026, with additional speakers still to be announced. The result is a programme built around six thematic blocks, each aimed at a contested regulatory or commercial question facing the German-speaking iGaming market.

Why 2026 is a Pivotal Year for German iGaming

Germany’s regulated online gambling market has been operating under the terms of the GlüStV 2021, which created a federal framework for licensing online casino games, slots, poker, and sports betting. But the treaty was never intended to be static. Under § 32 of the GlüStV 2021, the state gambling authorities must submit a comprehensive evaluation report by 31 December 2026, and every five years thereafter.

That deadline gives the 2026 conference unusual strategic weight. The evaluation will determine whether the treaty needs reform, and it will be based on three studies commissioned by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) — the Joint Gambling Authority of the German federal states. The stakes are high: if the current framework is seen as failing to channel players away from unlicensed offshore operators, the political pressure for structural change will intensify.

An earlier interim report, published in January 2024, had already identified enforcement gaps, particularly around IP blocking. The question of whether those gaps have been closed — and what further steps should be taken — will run through much of the Berlin agenda.

The Six Thematic Blocks: A Closer Look

The 2026 programme is built around six themes, beginning with the regulatory review and ending with fresh market data. Several sessions have only partially confirmed speaker line-ups, with further names promised closer to the event.

Block 1: Regulatory Review and the GlüStV 2021 Evaluation

This opening block will set the tone. A senior representative of the GGL is lined up as keynote speaker, with legal and industry perspectives from Dr Joerg Hofmann, Dr Dirk Quermann, and Mathias Dahms. The discussion will almost certainly focus on what the 2026 evaluation report will mean for the next phase of the GlüStV, including possible adjustments to licensing conditions, enforcement tools, and the treatment of unlicensed operators.

Block 2: Responding to the Black Market

The second block takes on one of the most politically charged issues in German gambling: the scale of the unlicensed market and how to respond to it. The confirmed line-up spans politics, operations, and payments — suggesting that the conversation will move beyond enforcement alone and into the practical mechanics of blocking, payment freeze, and channel shift.

Block 3: New Products and Untapped Opportunities

The third block is designed for operators looking beyond conventional sports betting and slots. Prediction markets, sweepstakes, NRW licensing, and eSports betting are all on the table. Legal experts will examine where the boundaries of German gambling law lie, and whether new product categories can be brought into the regulated fold. The presence of Prof Dr Christian Piska also brings an EU law perspective on state monopolies, which connects directly to the Austrian reform story.

Block 4: Compliance and the Road to 2027

Licences issued under the current framework are moving towards renewal, and the 2027 re-licensing cycle is already casting a shadow over the market. This block brings together operators and compliance specialists to examine what the next cycle will demand. The EU’s AML/CFT framework is another key theme, along with data compliance — an area that is becoming increasingly complex for gambling operators in Germany and across the EU.

Block 5: Austria’s Market Opening

Block 5 is dedicated entirely to Austria, which is preparing to dismantle its longstanding online casino monopoly. Dr Christian Rapani will present on the draft amendment to the Glücksspielgesetz and what operators should expect from the new licensing regime. For German-speaking operators looking to expand, this is likely to be one of the most practical sessions of the day.

Block 6: Market Data and Channelisation

The final block will bring the conversation back to numbers. With contributions from H2 Gambling Capital and Blask Business Intelligence, this session will examine the latest estimates for Germany’s regulated market size, operator performance, and the ongoing battle to measure channelisation.

The Channelisation Debate: How Much of the Market Is Really Black?

One of the central disputes at this year’s conference will be the true scale of Germany’s illegal online gambling market. Channelisation — the share of gambling activity that takes place through licensed operators — is the metric at the heart of that debate, and the available estimates differ dramatically.

A GGL-commissioned study published in March 2026 put the unregulated share of the German online market at 22.97% for 2024, implying a channelisation rate of 77.03%. That figure has become the official reference point for the time being. The GGL’s 2025 activity report, published in July 2026, deliberately carries no standalone illegal-market figures for 2025, instead directing readers to the March study.

But not everyone accepts that methodology. The DOCV — the German Online Casino Association — considers the GGL study too conservative. It argues that true channelisation is closer to 50%, citing the Schnabl study commissioned jointly with the DSWV. That study, covering March 2023, found a channelisation rate of 50.7% — a substantially lower figure than the GGL’s estimate.

The gap between these numbers is not academic. If the official evaluation report relies on a channelisation figure of 77%, the GlüStV 2021 will look broadly effective. If the industry’s counter-estimate is closer to the truth, the treaty will face serious questions about whether it is delivering on its central promise.

Austria’s Online Casino Re-Regulation: A Parallel Shift

While Germany debates reform, Austria is already moving. The country’s draft amendment to the Glücksspielgesetz would replace the existing online monopoly, held through win2day, with an open licensing procedure. The timetable is tight, and the key dates are already public:

• 29 June 2026 — the draft was agreed by the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS and opened for public consultation.
• 4 August 2026 — the draft was submitted to the European Commission, triggering a three-month standstill period during which the law cannot pass. The parliamentary process may continue during that time.
• 1 January 2027 — the deadline for providers currently operating illegally to cease, or face an 18-month waiting period before they can receive a licence. From 2030, that waiting period rises to 24 months.

Under the proposed framework, casino licences will be capped at 13, with the option to award them in packages. For operators already active in Germany, Austria represents a new, potentially lucrative market that shares a language and much of its regulatory culture.

Gaming in Germany founder Willem van Oort framed the Austrian opening in optimistic terms:

“The possibility of being able to offer new products is always exciting and the opening of Austria’s regulated online casino market will bring fresh opportunities to operators that are already active in German-speaking areas. There will be a lot of new and essential information for everyone.”

Beyond the Six Blocks: What Else Will Be Covered

The formal blocks do not exhaust the conference agenda. The organisers have indicated that the programme will also cover:

• Online casino table-game licensing in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg — four states that have taken different approaches to table games, creating a patchwork of regulatory conditions within the federal system.
• The future of the remaining gambling monopolies in both Germany and Austria. In Germany, this includes questions around state-run lotteries and other segments that have not been fully liberalised; in Austria, it means watching how the transition from monopoly to licensing unfolds in practice.

How Operators Should Use the 2026 Agenda

For anyone working in the German or Austrian iGaming sectors, the conference offers a chance to get ahead of several overlapping deadlines:

• Understand the GlüStV 2021 evaluation. The report due at the end of 2026 will shape the next years of German gambling law. Operators need to know what reforms are being considered, and whether the treaty will be tightened, loosened, or fundamentally redesigned.
• Prepare for 2027 re-licensing. The current licence cycle is moving towards renewal, and the compliance requirements are unlikely to get simpler. The sessions on AML/CFT and data compliance should be seen as early warning signals for the next application round.
• Assess the Austrian opportunity. With licensing details still emerging, the Austria update is an essential briefing for any operator considering a move into the market. The cap on casino licences and the waiting-period penalties for illegal operators will be critical to any market-entry decision.
• Pressure-test the channelisation numbers. The dispute between the GGL and industry studies is not a sideshow — it is central to how the effectiveness of the GlüStV 2021 will be judged. Operators should be prepared to argue with data, not just assertions.

Practical Information

• Date: Tuesday, 10 November 2026
• Venue: DoubleTree Hilton Ku’damm, Berlin
• Registration: Open now, with further speakers to be confirmed
• Organiser: Gaming in Germany, a B2B community and annual conference for professionals in Germany’s regulated iGaming industry and associated service providers

Gaming in Germany is organised by Gaming in Europe, founded by Willem van Oort, who also runs the Gaming in Holland, Gaming in Spain, Gaming in Finland, and Gaming in the Nordics communities.

As November approaches, the announcement of further speakers and the finalisation of the programme will likely sharpen the conference’s focus. For now, the 2026 agenda already makes one thing clear: Berlin will be the place where the key questions about Germany’s gambling future — and Austria’s near-term transformation — are put directly to the people shaping them.

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