Germany’s Bundesrat, the organisation representing the 17 regional governments, has approved a new set of regulations covering gaming machines.
The proposals now have to go to the country’s Bundesregierung, the federal government, to be ratified.
It is by no means certain that the proposals will be ratified as they stand as there has been a great deal of controversy between the industry and the 16 regions, or Länder, over their aggressive stance towards AWP machines.
What is being proposed by the regions is the limiting of maximum losses on machines to €60 per hour and winnings maximised at €400 – not counting jackpots. It also proposes that there should be a maximum of two AWP machines in each pub and that machines should be banned from anywhere where the service of food and drink is not the primary business.
The effect of this latter proposal would be that the growth of the ‘café-casinos’ would be stopped. In many cities, Berlin especially, there has been controversy over cafes installing a disproportionate number of AWPs, effectively turning the location into an arcade. This has brought the industry into some disrepute and the German trade has opposed this type of outlet vigorously.
The industry sees the ban on café-casinos as a means to strengthen the arcades and the genuine pub market and reduce the negative image impact of the café-casinos.
The proposals also include the prohibition of the automatic button on machines and a ban on machines in betting shops.
