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Germany ratified the Third State Treaty on Gambling
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The Minister-Presidents of Germany’s 16 federal states have ratified the third amended State Treaty on Gambling, paving the way for operators to apply for sports betting licences in the market, while Schleswig-Holstein will be allowed to run its own, liberal regulatory regime.
At the Minister-Presidents’ Conference yesterday (March 21), the lawmakers agreed to sign the Treaty, with licences to come into force from January 1, 2020 and run until June 30, 2021. This will effectively act as a placeholder, with a view to a complete overhaul of Germany’s gambling regulations by 2021.
The Treaty will also be submitted to the European Commission to be ratified, which is expected to take place in April this year, with a view to beginning the licensing process later in 2019.
The third amended State Treaty has undergone few changes from the 2012 edition, though the controversial 20-licence limit has been removed. While there is no limit on the number of operators that can be licensed, licensees will be taxed on 5% of turnover, in-play betting is prohibited, and players will not be allowed to spend more than €1,000 (£868/$1,137) each month. As before, sports betting is the only vertical permitted.
Schleswig-Holstein will be permitted to continue with its own liberal regulatory model until 2021. First introduced in 2011, the state has does not impose any restrictions on product verticals, and sets a 20% gross revenue tax. Steps towards renewing licences issued in 2012 began last week, with a view to having these run until June 30, 2021. The state will effectively act as a testing ground for a more liberal model, which from 2021 could be rolled out across the rest of the country.
Dr Wulf Hambach of leading German law firm Hambach & Hambach suggested that due to the short-term nature of the amended Treaty, it would be difficult to enforce the prohibitoin on live betting.
“There is also also big question over whether the online casino ban will be obeyed from January 1, 2020 onwards,” Hambach added. “If, for instance, other federal states are in favour of online casino regulation, they are unlikely to enforce the ban.”
Hambach said that with varied stances on gambling regulation across a number of states, the 2021 overhaul could give states the choice to opt in or out of a more liberal framework.
“I think it’s is likely that after 2021 you will see a fully regulated market, so this one step in the right direction, and there are already a lot of discussions between states, but I think these talks are very fruitful. If you look back two or three years, there haves never really been serious discussions about major reforms [to gambling regulation],” he continued. “This is the first time that it feels like a major step forward has been taken.”
Hans-Jörn Arp, parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union in Schleswig-Holstein and one of the State Treaty’s most vocal opponents, described today’s agreement as a “breakthrough”.
“Today’s decision of the Minister President Conference to present the foundations for follow-up regulations to the State Treaty on Gambling, means we have finally achieved a breakthrough after ten years, and gained recognition from the other federal states,” Arp said.
“For Schleswig-Holstein, this is a great success, after the state had long met with resistance to its forward-looking solution in the field of gambling,” he said. “Now the other federal states are pulling in the same direction, after they were finally convinced that the Schleswig-Holstein model is expedient.”
Arp said this had been aided by a cross-party consensus in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament.
He said the decision was not only good news for those who play online, who would be better protected when gambling, but also for professional sports clubs, which could be supported by additional investment generated through gambling taxes.
However German operator association the Deutscher Sportwettenverband took a less positive approach, with president Mathias Dahms describing the Treaty’s ratification as an insufficient first step towards regulating the country’s sports betting market.
“The third amendment to the State Treaty on Gaming is only a temporary measure for the short transitional period until 2021,” Dahms said. “It does not solve the structural deficits of the State Treaty, but gives the countries time to continue negotiating the urgently needed modernisation of German gambling law.”
Dahms said that even as a short-term measure the restrictions imposed under the State Treaty would prompt bettors to flock to illegal sites.
“In Germany there is a strong sports betting market,” he explained. “Customers have clear expectations of their sports betting product.
“If states completely ignore social realities and customer demand, they run the risk of failing again with their regulation. Unattractive conditions threaten to marginalise the licensed offerings in Germany compared to the black market.”
Dahms said that a thorough and transparent process to develop new regulations was vital, one that involved industry stakeholders, sports clubs, as well as medical professionals, noting that the last public hearing had taken place in May 2010.
“Since then, the Treaty has only been developed behind closed doors,” he said. “We and many other associations are therefore offering states the opportunity to contribute our decades of expertise in a cooperative and constructive manner in order to develop successful German gambling regulations.”
The German association of slot machine manufacturers Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft also urged states to use the time before the expiry of the Treaty in 2021 to develop new regulations.
“The consensus that has been reached is a first step. However, the main goal, namely the much-needed, coherent regulation of all forms of gambling, is still pending,” Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft chief executive Georg Stecker said.
Stecker said that only an attractive legal offering would succeed in drawing players away from a “rampant” black market.
“Only when all forms of gambling, including commercial slot machines, are regulated according to quality standards, can the black market be contained, consumers sustainably protected and legal businesses strengthened.”
Jens Bader, co-founder of iGaming payments company, MuchBetter added:
“We will look back on today as an opportunity missed. This was a big chance to decide the future of online gambling across the German-speaking market, but we’re left with more uncertainty and only a placeholder agreement. It’s good that there are no more artificial restrictions on the number of licences awarded to operators, but today’s vote was far from decisive on other issues including the legality of online gambling, casino and poker. It is very naïve to think that these issues will go away, or that a country can pick and choose which parts of gambling it likes. This is not how the rest of the world works and by only allowing betting, Germany could make it very difficult for operators to comply.
“Casinos won’t go away. They will continue to operate under the licences they have, with prohibition enforcement in the transitional period unlikely.”
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Germany ratified the Third State Treaty on Gambling
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- The 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) Group Stage concluded yesterday, with six teams qualifying for the Grand Finals after an intense run of clashes
- Alpha Gaming dominated in Group Green, while DRX were at the top of the leaderboard for Group Red
- Sixteen teams from the Group Stage will now battle their way through the Last Chance Stage, where they’ll fight to secure a coveted spot in the Grand Finals
- With three slots left for the Grand Finals in Bangkok, time is running out for the remaining teams to vie for a share of the $3M prize pool
The Group Stage of the 2025 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) has come to a thrilling close, following six days of high-stakes competition. The top three teams from Group Green and Group Red have earned a one-way ticket to the Grand Finals, whilst the remaining 16 teams that ranked 4th – 11th from both groups are set to contend in the Last Chance Stage taking place from December 6th – 7th, in a final push for survival. With $3,000,000 up for grabs, the winning team at the Grand Finals in Bangkok will claim the lion’s share of the prize pool, along with the coveted title, making every match a battle for glory.
Day one of the Group Stage began with Group Green, kicking off with Inner Circle Esports making a strong statement with an early chicken dinner and an incredible 18 eliminations, setting the pace for the group. Day two saw continued strong performances from Alpha Gaming, Alter Ego, and Team GOAT, taking the top three spots respectively. On day three, Alpha Gaming demonstrated consistency throughout the day, with a 12-elimination victory providing a solid boost, allowing them to end the day in the top spot with 174 points. At the end of the Group Green matches, Alpha Gaming, Dplus, and Team GOAT secured their spot to advance directly to the Grand Finals, leaving the mid-pack teams to fight for survival in the Last Chance Stage.
Group Red matched the intensity, delivering three days of high-stakes matches and tactical play. Day one began with EArena from Thailand taking an early win with 65 points and one Chicken Dinner, signaling their intent to remain top of the rank. Day two featured unexpected twists, with Regnum Carya and Team Flash executing key plays to climb the leaderboard. Maintaining their status, South Korea’s DRX locked in a top-three finish on day three with five Chicken Dinners, joined by Regnum Carya and EArena, clinching direct passage to the Grand Finals.
The Last Chance stage of the 2025 PMGC will see 16 teams, made up of those that placed 4th – 11th from both groups of the Group Stage, go head-to-head in twelve points-based matches over two days. The top two teams in the final standings will secure the remaining slots in the Grand Finals, while the other 14 teams will be eliminated from the tournament. Every match will put everything on the line as teams battle for a final shot to contend in the most prestigious PUBG MOBILE Esports tournament of the year.
Teams heading to the Last Chance Stage:
- Team Flash
- Weibo Gaming
- Influence Rage
- Arcred
- Burmese Ghouls
- Alliance
- Geekay Esports
- Boars Gaming
- Wolves Esports
- Inner Circle
- Team Gen G
- Loops Esports
- Alter Ego
- Team Falcons
- Papara Supermassive
- Team 9ZG
2025 PMGC Key Dates
- PMGC Last Chance (December 6th – 7th)
- PMGC Grand Finals (December 12th – 14th)
As the pinnacle of the competitive season, the 2025 PMGC in Bangkok stands as the ultimate proving ground for the world’s top PUBG MOBILE Esports teams. This year marks a new chapter for the scene, uniting the 2025 PMGC with the 2025 PUBG Global Championship (PGC) under the groundbreaking banner of PUBG UNITED 2025. By ending the year with its most prestigious event, PUBG MOBILE Esports not only celebrates the year’s finest talent, but also sets a forward-looking momentum that will shape the competitive landscape of the year ahead.
For more information on the 2025 PMGC, fans can keep up to date on PUBG MOBILE Esports’ YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels. For more PUBG MOBILE Esports news, stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok.
The post THE 2025 PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP STAGE WRAPS UP WITH LAST CHANCE IN SIGHT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PayRamnt-weight: 400;”> has launched its private stablecoin payment gateway for iGaming operators, gaming platforms, and affiliates that require fast, borderless, and censorship-resistant payments.
Built on the belief that payments should operate as freely as the internet itself, PayRam delivers decentralized PayFi infrastructure that allows iGaming businesses to accept and manage stablecoin payments through fully self-hosted infrastructure. Operators no longer rely on banks, custodians, or centralized processors to control their revenue.
In an industry plagued by frozen balances, chargebacks, delayed settlements, and compliance shutdowns, PayRam gives operators direct control over funds, payouts, and transaction infrastructure. Platforms retain ownership of their payment flow without platform risk. Operators can now accept private stablecoin deposits, launch without intermediaries, and expand globally on their own terms.
Stablecoins Are the Future of Global iGaming Payments
Stablecoins now drive the most significant transformation in payments in decades. With a market capitalization exceeding $300 billion, stablecoins now function as real-world settlement infrastructure rather than speculative assets. For iGaming businesses that operate across borders, stablecoins deliver instant payouts, low transaction costs, and continuous global liquidity.
Governments also continue to formalize regulatory frameworks. Initiatives such as the GENIUS Bill in the United States signal that stablecoins will soon function as foundational financial infrastructure for both traditional commerce and emerging agent-driven economies.
Yet most existing stablecoin fiat gateways still copy legacy banking structures. They custodian funds, over-monitor transactions, delay settlements, and restrict high-risk industries such as iGaming. Operators continue to face frozen balances, withheld profits, and sudden account closures.
Instead of decentralizing commerce, centralized processors reintroduce single points of failure. They strip merchants of privacy, predictability, and true ownership of funds.
PayRam removes these bottlenecks by allowing iGaming operators to deploy and operate their own self-hosted stablecoin payment nodes. This sovereign infrastructure restores payment autonomy, protects funds from blacklisting, enables private deposits, and eliminates third-party revenue risk.
Permissionless Commerce Underpinned By Privacy
PayRam embodies a mission to decentralize the global payments ecosystem. Its founder, Siddharth Menon, who previously co-founded WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, helped bring crypto to more than 15 million users. Today, he’s channeling that experience into building a decentralized PayFi layer engineered for privacy, autonomy, and self-custody.
“The future of payments is decentralized stablecoin payments. As the world moves beyond custodial systems, PayRam is building the foundation for permissionless commerce, where every merchant, creator, or platform can host and own their own payment infrastructure,” said Siddharth Menon, Founder of PayRam. “Just as Uniswap reimagined trading through decentralization, PayRam is reimagining how money moves across the internet.”
iGaming Operators Go Live in Minutes and Expand Into Underserved Regions
PayRam removes all onboarding friction. Operators need no approvals, no vetting, and no centralized onboarding process. Any business can deploy PayRam, configure it, and begin processing private stablecoin payments within 10 minutes.
This instant deployment allows operators to enter underserved and payment-restricted regions, unlock new player bases, and launch real-money gaming operations without waiting on banks, payment processors, or jurisdictional approvals.
PayRam is built as a merchant-first ecosystem, offering advanced accounting analytics, scalable APIs, and automated payments orchestration tools. It also arrives with integrated growth tools like referral and payout systems. Merchants and individuals can issue payment requests, share unique payment links, and monitor transactions through programmable APIs, all operated on infrastructure that users self-host and fully control. The built-in SmartSweep feature uses a family of smart contracts to move funds securely and periodically, eliminating the need to store private keys on servers.
PayRam supports stablecoin and cryptocurrency payments across major networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Base, and Tron, with integrations for Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Ripple, Monero, and TON next in line.
“We’ve used several crypto payment providers over the years, including BTCPay Server, NOWPayments, and others, but PayRam stands out as truly open and built for the modern internet economy. It gives us full control over our payments and funds, along with stablecoin support, privacy, multi-chain flexibility, and faster global settlements,” said an iGaming operator using PayRam.
PayRam Prepares to Support Agentic Betting With Privacy and Automation
Agentic betting represents the next evolution of iGaming, where autonomous software agents will place bets, execute strategies, manage bankrolls, and settle wagers in real time without human intervention. These systems already power algorithmic trading in financial markets, and iGaming infrastructure now begins to move in the same direction.
Most existing betting and payment infrastructure cannot support this shift. Centralized processors expose transaction logic, restrict automated flows, and introduce settlement delays that break agent-driven wagering models at scale.
PayRam is actively adopting the foundational standards and infrastructure required to support agentic betting in the future. The platform is positioning itself as a privacy-first, decentralized payment layer that will allow autonomous betting systems to operate with:
- Private stablecoin deposits
- Real-time settlement logic
- Automated treasury and bankroll flows
- Programmable payout execution
- Full self-custody and non-custodial risk isolation
By preparing to adopt open standards such as x402 and ERC-8004, PayRam aims to support interoperable and intelligent payment flows between autonomous betting systems, sportsbooks, and gaming platforms when the agentic wagering ecosystem reaches production maturity.
Through this approach, PayRam is building the foundation for a future where payments are private, programmable, and permissionless.
About PayRam
PayRam is the world’s first self-hosted private stablecoin processor, giving merchants and individuals complete control over their payments stack. Built for the next era of permissionless commerce, it merges stablecoin payments with self-hosted infrastructure to enable borderless, censorship-resistant transactions.
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Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming
BGaming gets in the festive spirit with a Christmas take on its acclaimed casual hit, Aviamasters, with Aviamasters X-Mas. Santa and his sleigh replace the plane from the original title, with players watching as he flies through the air, collecting festive multipliers before hopefully landing on an ice floe to collect his prizes.
Stakelogic is spreading festive cheer this December with the release of Big Sugar Bonanza Xmas, a delicious sequel of the candy-coated hit, Big Sugar Bonanza. Launching on 1st December 2025, the new game transforms the Fluffkins’ sugary kingdom into a winter wonderland of treats and turbo-charged multipliers.
Million Games is bringing festive mayhem to the iGaming world with the launch of Rudolph’s Gone Rogue, a fast-paced Christmas slot where Santa’s most famous reindeer takes centre stage in a runaway holiday adventure. In this 5×3, 20-payline slot, Rudolph bolts into the night sky, dragging the rest of the herd with him and leaving a trail of chaos in his wake.
Spinomenal has unwrapped its new title Majestic Santa, signalling the start of the festive season. Spinomenal’s festive-inspired treat is a 5×3 slot that is bursting with Christmas imagery including red stockings, gingerbread men, and glistening golden bells.
Evoplay has launched Mega Greatest Catch: Blue Marlin, bringing the fearless fisherman Harry back to sea for his most exciting adventure yet. The latest instalment transports players to bright turquoise waters, where random scatters can trigger free spins, wilds appear unexpectedly, and the scatter respin feature offers a welcome second chance to enter the round.
Looking to unwrap longer sessions, stronger engagement and bigger revenues this Christmas? ICONIC21, in-demand iGaming content provider, just launched Sweet Royale Xmas ahead of the holiday season. Sweet Royale is one of the provider’s most popular slots to date and now returns in a Christmas edition decked with boughs of candy to allow operators to leverage the rise in slotting activity during the festive period.
Meet Nolimit City’s latest Crazy Ex-Girlfriend…the kind ex who would “accidentally” like your 2014 selfie at 3am and has a little voodoo doll named after you. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has mapped out your every move and runs through a 2-4-4-4-4-2 layout across 6 reels.
It’s the most magical time of the year, but don’t expect a peaceful Christmas with the release of Realistic Games’ latest blockbuster slot, Wreckmas. The new 5×3, feature-packed slot brings toppled trees, tangled tinsel and chaotic carols to a family Christmas, along with the chance to hit a 5,000x max win.
Players can jingle their way to jackpot joy in Christmas MegapotsTM from Big Time Gaming. This festive slot brings Big Time Gaming’s legendary Megapots mechanic to life with seasonal sparkle, giving players the chance to unwrap Mini, Midi or Mega Jackpots with each spin.
Players are being commanded to raise the sails and brace themselves for a high seas adventure like no other in Captain WinBreaker, the latest swashbuckling slot from Northern Lights Gaming. This pirate-themed slot sees players take the helm of a ship bound for treasures and untold riches.
Amusnet has released 20 Burning Hot Buy Bonus, a sizzling twist on the classic fruit slot. Set across 5 reels and 3 lines, this game combines familiar symbols with modern mechanics for fast-paced spins, vibrant visuals and nonstop excitement.
SlotMatrix is embracing the holiday season with Santa’s Golden Christmas, a sparkling new slot packed with festive cheer, golden prizes, and heart-warming holiday magic. Set in a winter wonderland, the game brings players closer to the jolly gift-giver.
Inspired Entertainment, Inc. is thrilled to announce the exclusive launch of its brand-new, bespoke slot game, Spin O’Reely Grand Chance, in collaboration with long time partners bet365. Expanding bet365’s popular exclusive Irish-themed Spin O’Reely game series, the game will initially be available to players in the UK, Ontario, and New Jersey, with more markets to follow soon.
Play’n GO pits sun god Ra against serpent deity Apophis in Ra’s Reckoning, a mythic grid slot inspired by the celestial battles of ancient Egypt. Ra’s Reckoning brings players face to face with an age-old mythic struggle – the eternal duel between light and chaos.
Playson has unleashed a whirlwind of excitement with Tornado Power: Hold and Win, introducing a new Tornado Feature and enhanced payouts. The 3×4, 10 payline slot features immersive visuals with old-school charm, as the untamed gameplay is further enhanced by a new Tornado Feature
ELA Games announces the release of its latest title, Joker Jam, a bold visual addition to the studio’s growing portfolio of strategic yet aesthetic games. Set under the neon glow of a vibrant city, Joker Jam reimagines the classic Vegas aesthetic into a thrilling experience.
Just Slots has announced the exclusive launch of its newest title, Dynamo’s Show, available on Gamdom and Stake. A full network release will follow on 11 December 2025. This vibrant new slot transforms the classic Hold & Collect experience into a full theatrical performance
Spinomenal is celebrating the holiday season by inviting players for a festive journey with The North Star Express – Hold & Hit 3×3. Unfolding against a wintry backdrop, North Star Express arrives to present a fun, festive adventure as players race through snowy forests.
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has rolled out the red carpet to the Frozen Barrel Tavern to celebrate the festive season. Players are warmly welcomed into a cosy winter tavern that radiates holiday cheer and buzzes with Christmas chatter.
The post Week 49/2025 slot games releases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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