GGL Enforcement Head Stresses Shared Player Protection Goals but Pushes for Operator Action on 25 Percent Black Market
At Gaming in Germany 2026, GGL's Nadja Wierzejewski reported 77% licensed channelisation against a 25% black market per Euromat. She stressed joint player protection goals but urged operators to contribute more alongside expanded tools like IP blocking. (38 words)
SCCG Take — Regulators hold rules but lack player data; operators have reach but need enforcement leverage. Real progress on Germany's black market requires operationalising that exchange without delay.
The Gaming in Germany 2026 conference opened in Berlin with a keynote from the head of enforcement at the country's gambling regulator. Nadja Wierzejewski of the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) outlined common objectives with the licensed industry while flagging gaps in approach to the unlicensed sector.
Wierzejewski noted that both the licensed industry and the GGL pursue a sustainable regulated market. Differences emerge over the scale of the black market.
Contrasting Estimates and Shared Player Risks
The GGL has placed licensed channelisation rates at around 77 percent. This tracks closely with an Euromat report that puts illegal gambling at 25 percent of the total market share, figures Wierzejewski said cannot be far from accurate.
All sides agree the black market endangers players. “It is our shared objective to avert this danger from players,” Wierzejewski said. She added that players frequently fail to recognise they have entered the illegal market. Many assume that “if there is a sun, then it must be legal,” a reference to the Merkur Group brand logo.
Measures Showing Results and the Need for Closer Partnership
Payment blocking powers deployed by the GGL are producing positive effects against illegal operators. Wierzejewski called for additional steps, including full IP blocking authority and tighter cooperation between licensed operators and authorities.
“I would like to see more from industry operators. You have the players, I have the rules, and only by working together will we see results against the black market,” she said. According to SBC News live coverage from the Doubletree Hilton Ku’damm, the conference will also examine GlüStV 2021 evaluation progress alongside prediction markets and Meta issues with the licensed sector.
The Regulatory Cooperation Gap
The regulator’s call for operators to contribute more actively on enforcement highlights a structural limitation in current tools and information flows. Without stronger joint efforts, the 23 percent unlicensed share will remain difficult to compress, leaving players exposed and limiting the effectiveness of measures already delivering results. Operators and the GGL now face a practical test of how quickly they can align data and rules to shift that balance.
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