German gambling regulator picks researcher for ad study

The GGL has commissioned a study into gambling advertising.

Germany.- The German gambling regulator, the GGL, has chosen the research group that will carry out its Gambling Advertising Study. Eye Square GmbH has won the tender for the study, which will cover television and internet gambling advertising in all 16 federal states.

The study will form part of the GGL’s evaluation of Germany’s new gambling regulations, which came into effect in 2021 and legalised online gambling.

GGL says Eye Square was chosen against four competing bidders for the two-year study. The investigation will seek to determine the effectiveness of advertising rules in ensuring that ads “guide consumers to legal gambling offerings without causing excessive interest or vulnerability”. It will pay attention to vulnerable groups and will seek to analyse how gambling advertising and sponsorship influence customer behaviour. The scope will include an evaluation of offers such as bonuses and discounts.

Earlier this month, the GGL sought to clarify its position on data collection used to measure the size of the unlicensed market. Its response comes after the trade bodies DSWV and DOCV warned that half of gambling in Germany takes place on the black market.

The GGL recognised that studies to measure the size of the illegal online gambling market were “contentious” and that some had found different results from the data obtained by the state. It said that “scientific discourse on survey methods” was welcomed and said it was “open to new or further developed approaches to obtaining knowledge” and was continually developing its own methods of data collection.