Gaming in Germany Conference reveals 2026 Berlin agenda

The November programme lands weeks before Germany’s statutory GlüStV 2021 evaluation report is due and as Austria moves to dismantle its online casino monopoly.

Germany’s regulated iGaming market faces a convergence of pressures in late 2026: the statutory evaluation of the GlüStV 2021 is due to report by the end of the year, Austria is advancing draft legislation to dismantle its online casino monopoly, and the share of play captured by licensed operators remains contested. Gaming in Germany published the initial programme for its 2026 conference on 7 September 2026, ahead of the 10 November event at the DoubleTree Hilton Ku’damm in Berlin.

Six-block agenda targets Germany’s most contested regulatory questions

The 2026 programme is structured around six thematic blocks, opening with a regulatory and GlüStV 2021 evaluation update and closing with market data. Several sessions carry confirmed speakers only in part, with additional names to be announced.

Beyond the sessions listed, the organisers say the programme will cover online casino table-game licensing in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg, and the future of the remaining gambling monopolies in both Germany and Austria.

GlüStV 2021 evaluation gives the agenda its weight

Under § 32 of the GlüStV 2021, the state gambling authorities must submit a summary evaluation report by 31 December 2026, and every five years thereafter. An interim report published in January 2024 identified enforcement gaps, particularly around IP blocking. The 2026 report will draw on three studies commissioned by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) and will determine whether the treaty needs reform to reduce the outflow of players to unlicensed offshore operators.

The size of that outflow is the central dispute the conference will host:

• 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%.
• The GGL’s 2025 activity report, published in July 2026, deliberately carries no standalone illegal-market figures for 2025 and relies on that study instead.
• The DOCV considers the methodology too conservative and puts true channelisation closer to 50%, citing the Schnabl study it commissioned jointly with the DSWV, which found 50.7% for March 2023.

Austria’s market opening runs on a parallel timetable

Block 5 is a dedicated Austria session, with Dr Rapani presenting on online casino re-regulation. The draft amendment to the Glücksspielgesetz would replace the country’s longstanding online monopoly, held through win2day, with an open licensing procedure.

• 29 June 2026 — draft agreed by ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS and opened for public consultation.
• 4 August 2026 — submitted to the European Commission, triggering a three-month standstill during which the law cannot pass, though the parliamentary process may continue.
• 1 January 2027 — deadline for providers currently operating illegally to cease, or face an 18-month waiting period before a licence can be granted, rising to 24 months from 2030.
• Casino licences are to be capped at 13, with the option of awarding them in packages.

Willem van Oort, founder of Gaming in Germany, said:

‘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.’

Practical information

• Date: Tuesday 10 November 2026
• Venue: DoubleTree Hilton Ku’damm, Berlin
• Registration: open, with further speakers to be confirmed

About Gaming in Germany

Gaming in Germany is a B2B community and annual conference for professionals working in Germany’s regulated iGaming industry and associated service providers. It 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.

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