Willem van Oort: "Moving the conversation forward at the 2026 Gaming in Germany Conference"

Willem van Oort talks about the importance of the 2026 Gaming in Germany Conference, and how it helps shape the conversation around the regulated gambling market. He weighs the role of stakeholders and lawmakers, the current regulatory framework, and the threat of the black market. Van Oort commented on the circulation of ideas surrounding addressing the current issues in the market, and how the conference gives stakeholders a platform to build support for those ideas and strengthen the regulated market.

Willem, it’s great to have the opportunity to catch up with you ahead of Gaming in Germany. Could you tell us why this event is important and why it is returning once again?

We are very happy that our annual Gaming in Germany Conference returns to Berlin on November 10, 2026. Germany has the obvious potential to become Europe largest and most important gambling market. For that reason alone, it makes perfect sense to organize a conference on the regulated German iGaming market.

Like our other "Gaming in" events, Gaming in Germany connects local and domestic stakeholders. And with the business of iGaming becoming increasingly globalized – while regulations tend to remain stubbornly local – we think that is something of great value.

Lastly, all the key stakeholders will be there: the regulator, licensed operators, trade associations, B2B suppliers, and more. This is where you go if you want to meet the people who matter.

Germany is one of Europe’s most heavily regulated markets, and yet it faces its unique challenges - particularly from the offshore sector. What is the consensus - is Germany winning against the black market?

Frankly, no. While this does not mean that the licensed market is disappearing anytime soon, it certainly does mean that many players, including the most vulnerable, are spending their money with offshore operators.

Obviously, this is a failure that should not be overlooked. It means that fewer players are protected, that the state misses out on tax revenues and licensed operators on revenues and profits. This is, of course, why we launched #ReclaimTheMarket as our new motto and rallying cry to both the industry and other stakeholders. In the current situation, everybody loses out and we need to find effective and achievable ways to remedy that.

We think that regulatory reform must be part of this conversation. That is why we are extremely pleased that Alexander Müller, Member of the Executive Board of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) will make an appearance at this year's conference. It marks the first time that a political stakeholder at the national level will speak out in favor of a more pragmatic regulatory approach at our event.

But there are also steps that the industry can take to reclaim the market from illegal competitors. While traditionally there has been a lot of focus on operators, we are convinced that B2B suppliers have an important part to play as well. For instance, Play'n GO's Melanie Hainzer will chair a panel on the role of suppliers in building a sustainable German online gambling market.

The fact of the matter is that there are quite a few ideas floating around on how to make Germany's regulated iGaming market more attractive compared to the large number of existing illegal alternatives. The challenge is to build support for these ideas, sometimes simply by sharing these at the right moment with the right people. And that is precisely where the Gaming in Germany Conference comes in.

Do you reckon regulators are open to industry input about the state of affairs in German iGaming, or is there pushback? One notable example is the lack of agreement over what the actual channelization rate in the country is.

"Yes and no" or perhaps "it's complicated" would be the best way to put it. If one speaks directly with GGL representatives, there definitely is a willingness to look at how things are. But the fact of the matter is that the current regulatory framework is a compromise between the sixteen German federal states. And when sixteen different entities, each with their own internal politics, become responsible for one single agency, things can get complicated fast.

In situations like this, change only happens when the old arguments become untenable compared to the new ones. Part of what Gaming in Germany is about is to provide a platform where these new arguments are being hashed out.

Germany is also wrestling with other emerging verticals, such as prediction markets. How have these been accepted by local authorities and the industry itself - are prediction market platforms perceived as an immediate threat or a great new opportunity?

The industry certainly sees it as a great new opportunity – if these verticals can be brought inside the regulatory framework. Not coincidentally, this year's Gaming in Germany Conference will offer several sessions on whether prediction betting, sweepstakes, and eSports betting can be made to fit inside the provisions of Germany's 2021 State Gambling Treaty.

I can already reveal that in quite a few cases, the answer seems to be yes.

Speaking of new products, this year's event also offers sessions on online casino table games licensing in some of Germany's most populous states. This includes the possibility of sublicensing, which – considering the generally strictly limited number of available licenses per state – will be highly relevant to almost every operator that is currently active in the German market.

One of the topics discussed at the upcoming event will be the opening of the Austrian iGaming market. Do you think Austria will hew closely to what Germany has done, or perhaps move past some of the more restrictive rules adopted by the country?

From a legal perspective, one major difference is that Austria's proposed gambling re-regulation will be based on a national law rather than a treaty between the individual federal states. This means that a lot of Germany's regulatory idiosyncrasies can be avoided, which is certainly good news.

Still, the age of light-touch gambling regulation in Europe appears to be over. The result of Austria's market re-regulation will be a complex system with significant compliance burdens for both gambling operators and related service providers.

By the time this year's Gaming in Germany Conference takes place, I expect that all the important provisions of the new legislation will have been clarified, which is yet another reason to join us in Berlin this November.

What do you hope Gaming in Germany will achieve in 2026?

As mentioned previously, I sincerely hope that we will manage to meaningfully contribute to the conversations that – hopefully – will make Germany's regulated iGaming market more sustainable and safer, as well as considerably more attractive.