Germany’s Joint Gambling Authority of the federal states (GGL) is expanding the LUGAS regulatory data system with public-sector IT provider Dataport as the country approaches a review of its national online gambling framework.
LUGAS is used to supervise licensed cross-state gambling activity and contains data relating to operator compliance and player activity. According to GGL, the system processed information from more than 60 licensed operators and approximately five million registered players during 2025.
Its core components include central files and secure servers operated by Dataport. GGL has managed the associated evaluation systems since assuming full responsibility for nationwide online gambling supervision on 1 January 2023.
The infrastructure supports controls introduced under the 2021 State Treaty on Gambling, including centralised oversight of sports betting, virtual slots and online poker. Online casino table games remain subject to separate state-level licensing arrangements.
GGL said evaluations will increasingly draw on secure-server data from 2027. The change is intended to provide the regulator and Germany’s 16 federal states with a broader evidence base when assessing market developments and player protection measures.
That timetable follows the treaty’s requirement for the states to submit a summary evaluation report by 31 December 2026. The review covers the framework’s impact on licensed gambling, player protection and the spread of unlicensed activity.
Debate around the evaluation has focused on whether restrictions imposed on licensed operators have achieved sufficient channelisation towards regulated websites. Industry groups have argued that tax and product controls continue to make offshore alternatives attractive, while regulators have maintained enforcement against unlicensed operators and their service providers.
GGL board member Ronald Benter said: “We are continuously driving the development of LUGAS forward.”
Dataport CEO, Johann Bizer, added: “Together with GGL, we are continuously developing the systems and creating the conditions for reliable data-based decisions.”
Dataport operates as a public-law IT provider serving state and local administrations across six German states. Its services include data centres, software development and secure public-sector infrastructure.
The expansion follows a change in GGL’s Administrative Board leadership, with Berlin State Secretary Christian Hochgrebe taking over as chair ahead of the treaty evaluation. The regulator has also continued action involving payment providers and hosting services as part of its response to illegal online gambling.
LUGAS provides centralised data for licensed online gambling but does not replace the separate state-level supervision of land-based casinos and gaming venues
