Baden-Württemberg Lawmakers Debate IP Blocking and Expanded Regulator Powers to Curb Illegal Gambling

A legislative push in Baden-Württemberg is targeting illegal online gambling through proposed amendments to Germany’s Interstate Gambling Treaty, with Interior Minister Manuel Hagel backing stronger enforcement tools including network-level blocking. The draft, debated in the state parliament, would give gambling regulators expanded authority to cooperate with foreign police agencies—a move aimed at the many licensed operators headquartered outside Germany—and create a formal legal basis for IP blocking.

Supporters in the chamber argued the measures are both warranted and balanced. Green Party lawmaker Peter Seimer described IP blocking as “a necessary and proportionate tool” for shutting down unlicensed platforms. CDU representative Lorenzo Saladino warned that without a sufficiently robust legal market, players will drift toward sites that “lack player protection, anti-money laundering safeguards and regulatory oversight.”

Opposition voices, however, questioned the likely effectiveness of the plan. SPD member Boris Weirauch called for a “comprehensive review” of the existing regulatory setup rather than a piecemeal tightening. The draft has now been referred to the Committee on Internal Affairs and Digitalisation for further scrutiny, with a final vote expected later this autumn.

Alongside the state-level debate, Germany’s federal joint gambling authority (GGL) is expanding the LUGAS regulatory data system with public-sector IT provider Dataport. LUGAS monitors licensed cross-state gambling activity and, according to the GGL, processed data from more than 60 licensed operators and roughly five million registered players during 2025. The upgrade comes as Germany prepares a broader review of its national online gambling framework.