The 2026 Gaming in Germany Conference is set for Tuesday, November 10, 2026, and promises to be a pivotal event for professionals engaged in Germany's regulated iGaming market. This conference will present a comprehensive mix of important topics, key attendees, and esteemed speakers, reflecting the latest developments in the industry.
Key subjects on the agenda include the ongoing assessment of the 2021 State Gambling Treaty and strategies aimed at combating offshore offerings to help licensed operators reclaim market share. The conference will also explore the current and anticipated permissibility of new gaming products, including prediction betting, sweepstakes, and esports betting. Sessions will address online casino licensing in regions such as Nordrhein-Westfalen, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg, as well as the future of existing gambling monopolies in Germany and Austria and market re-regulation in Austria.
Willem van Oort, the founder of Gaming in Germany, commented on the relevance of these topics, emphasizing that the potential for new product offerings is exciting and that the opening of Austria's regulated online casino market represents fresh opportunities for operators already active in German-speaking areas. The conference aims to provide attendees with new and crucial information.
Networking remains a key feature of the Gaming in Germany Conference, offering valuable opportunities to interact with major stakeholders and decision-makers within the country's online gambling sector. Face-to-face interactions continue to prove beneficial in this industry.
An outline of confirmed topics and speakers shows the conference's commitment to addressing pressing issues within the gaming landscape:
**Block 1: Regulatory & GlüStV 2021 evaluation update**
– Keynote: Senior GGL representative
– Regulatory update: Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm
– Industry perspective I: Dr. Dirk Quermann, President, Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV)
– Industry perspective II: Mathias Dahms, President, Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV)
– Discussion: Threading the needle between public opinion and economic viability, moderated by Birgitte Sand, CEO of Birgitte Sand & Associates, with additional speakers to be announced.
**Block 2: The threat of the black market: Towards an effective regulatory response**
– Player protection, market realities, and enforcement insights: Alexander Müller, Member of the Executive Board, FDP
– Creating friction: Investigating effective enforcement actions: Vasiliki Panousi, Regulatory Affairs Senior Manager, Kaizen
– Industry initiatives for assistance: Christian Heins, Founder, European Gambling Gathering
– #ReclaimTheMarket: iGaming and payment solutions: Thore Sieck, VP Global Sales, Adyen.
**Block 3: New products & market opportunities**
– Discussion on prediction markets and sweepstakes entering Germany: Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner, Melchers Law Firm; Dr. Christian Rapani, Partner, Rapani Rechtsanwälte
– Licensing and B2B opportunities for online casinos in NRW: Dr. Carsten Bringmann, Associate Partner, Noerr
– Examination of the state gambling monopolies and EU law: Prof. Dr. Christian Piska, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Vienna
– eSports betting in Germany: Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer, Assistant Professor, University of Agder & Attorney at Melchers Law Firm.
**Block 4: Current challenges**
– Licensing process in the German online market beyond 2027: Dr. Damir Boehm, CEO, Tipwin; more speakers pending.
– Practical impact of the EU's new AML/CFT regulations: Jochen Biewer, Managing Director, Chevron Group; additional speakers TBA.
– Data compliance and vaults for the German market: Mohamed Messaoudi, Director, Product Strategy at Docap.
**Block 5: Austria update**
– Regulating the online casino market in Austria: Dr. Christian Rapani, Partner, Rapani Rechtsanwälte.
**Block 6: Germany market update**
– Overview of the German iGaming market: Josh Hodgson, COO, H2 Gambling Capital
– Analysis of game popularity between onshore and offshore offerings: Jeffrey Haas, Chair, Blask Business Intelligence.
The 2026 Gaming in Germany Conference will take place at the DoubleTree Hilton Ku’damm in Berlin, conveniently situated just 100 meters from the famous Kurfürstendamm. Registration for the event is now open.
