The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) calls on more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block the websites of the Lottoland Group. First successes in payment blocking: payment service providers terminate cooperation with Lottoland.

In order to remove the illegal gambling services of the Lottoland Group from the market, GGL is consistently using all the instruments at its disposal. For example, it has already succeeded in getting several payment service providers to cease their cooperation with Lottoland and to rule out doing business with illegal gambling providers in the future.

Another instrument for combating illegal gambling is network blocking (referred to as IP blocking in the GlüStV 2021). Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder relies on transparency and talks with Internet service providers in its approach to network blocking. "Raising awareness among Internet service providers is extremely important. Providers who fail to prevent access to unauthorized offers despite the GGL's order face the threat of severe penalty payments," emphasizes board member Ronald Benter.

In the case of the proceedings against the Lottoland Group, the first two administrative proceedings regarding network blocks were already initiated in July with the aim of having access to the court-determined unauthorized offer of the Lottoland Group blocked. At the beginning of October, three further ISPs were requested to block the Lottoland Group's websites. The addressees are thus the five Internet service providers with the highest revenues. "We are of course aware that we are entering new legal territory with this and that our actions will be subject to judicial review. The task of the GGL is to consistently implement the State Gambling Treaty and thus law and order," says board member Benjamin Schwanke.

The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder has had cross-state responsibility for combating illegal gambling on the Internet and advertising for it since July 1, 2022. "Our priority in combating the black market is enforcement against providers who are not on the official whitelist," Schwanke said. The enforcement tools of the new authority include, among others, payment blocking and network blocking. The latter is aimed at all Internet service providers that act as access brokers of illegal online gambling offers. In addition, there are other enforcement instruments in cooperation with other authorities, such as reports to tax offices for the prosecution of tax offenses.

In the case of network blocking, Internet providers are required by way of a regulatory order to block access to the unauthorized offering via Internet access points. To ensure that this order is implemented, the authorities can impose substantial periodic penalty payments on the providers concerned.

About the administrative procedure for blocking lottery bets from Lottoland that are not eligible for authorization

The network of companies operating under the name Lottoland has been offering illegal gambling for years. This offer is particularly precarious, as many players believe that they are participating in a lottery game at Lottoland. However, this is not the case. The offers made by Lottoland at www.lottoland.com and www.lottohelden.de and www.lottohelden.com are bets on the outcome of a lottery draw instead of participating in the actual lottery draw. These offers are not permissible on the basis of the State Treaty on Gaming and have therefore already been prohibited. However, they can still be accessed on the Internet. For this reason, the first legal steps taken by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder were aimed at preventing Lottoland's offerings by means of administrative procedures on network blocking and payment blocking.