In Hesse, online casinos will be allowed under certain conditions in the future. An amendment to the gambling law was passed in the state parliament in Wiesbaden on Thursday. The hearing revealed that several Hessian casino communities are interested in offering online casino games such as virtual roulette and blackjack, the Ministry of the Interior announced. “From now on such constructions will be possible in which at least two casinos have a majority stake.”

“We allow limited virtual casino games because, despite all the bans, there has been such a flourishing cross-border black market on the Internet in the past that we can no longer close our eyes to this reality,” said Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU). A continuing and obviously ineffective ban serves neither the protection of minors and players nor the interests of the permitted gambling companies.