Does Germany’s new government have a shot at tackling illegal gambling?

Sunday, April 20, 2025 12:15 PM
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  • Imogen Goodman, iGaming Business

In their coalition pact released on 9 April, the incoming government in Germany set itself another ambitious goal: tackling the rampant illegal gambling sector.

“Together with the federal states, we will improve the fight against illegal gambling,” the parties write on page 92. A brief statement, but in the eyes of many industry spectators, one that could prove significant.

Germany’s new government has a daunting task ahead of it when it enters office on 6 May. In recent years, the country’s economy has been buckling under the weight of numerous structural problems, from an aging population to endless red tape.

Together, the centre-right alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are tasked with getting the country back on its feet.