Bremen: Occupational Halls in front of the

Bremen plans further adjustments to the Gambling Act that concern the terrestrial range of games. Specifically, the most recent advance of the responsible Senate Committee is about changes to the currently applicable minimum distance for arcades, betting shops and similar facilities. The legally prescribed distance between gambling transactions is to be enlarged. If the state government grants the legal adaptation of the legal adaptation, many arcades in the state are facing the end.

Increase in the minimum distance to 500 meters

The minimum distance has been in American gambling policy since the new Gaming State Treaty, which came into force in July 2021, A recurring topic. The nationwide legal framework gives the individual federal states the decision -making power as they want to deal with the national implementation. Now the topic of the topic has also become a long -term visitor on the agenda in the Bremen state parliament.

Politics in the state are currently making some changes to the municipal gambling law. The minimum distance plays an important role. This should increased by 100 percent in the future will. Current legislation obliges all gambling transactions in the city to adhere to a distance of at least 250 meters. The planned adaptation provides an increase to 500 meters – but that’s not enough. In addition, arcades, betting shops and Co. must be at least 250 meters from secondary schools.

One of the initiators of gambling adaptation is Ulrich Mäurer (SPD), interior senator of Bremen. In his opinion, the extensive range of games in the Hanseatic city would Try potential dangers of gambling. Accordingly, there was a high risk to the citizens. For this reason, restrictive measures are necessary.

Study as evidence. Mäurer supports his argument on the gambling survey from 2021. According to the results of the study, the number of conspicuous and addicted players in USA is steadily increasing. Around 1.3 million people in the country have currently been diagnosed with problematic play behavior.

Corona pandemic paving the law amendment

Corona pandemic has paralyzed large parts of society and business during its high phase. Gambling in the Federal Republic also had to deal with the Pandemic effects. For example, the terrestrial range of games in the entire country had to for a long time.

Ulrich Mäurer had shown the experiences made that the elimination of the state -based arcades and betting shops had a positive effect on society. Due to the closed gaming facilities, the population would simply have The usual game incentive. For this reason, a reduction in the game offer is only logical.

Even if the state government still has to vote on the targeted changes to the municipal gambling law, the draft law is already peppered with fixed regulations and approaches. This is intended to prevent no inconsistencies due to the minimum distance caused by the minimum distance. For example, the operator must be with several affected arcades With the larger number of facilities close in Bremen. A lottery procedure, on the other hand, is used in the event of “tie”.

License procedure. The changes to the municipal gambling law also include the current license procedure. In the future, no arcades, betting shops and other gambling transactions that lie in socially disadvantaged districts should receive a license. However, an objective measurement or assessment of which region is considered socially disadvantaged is still missing. This makes implementation in practice relatively difficult at the current time.

Gaming industry is angry

The restrictive change in law at the current gambling in Bremen is not so well received by the gambling industry. The state government’s procedure was sharply criticized and titled as counterproductive. The industry is of the opinion that the willful shortage of legal games have a negative impact on player and youth protection becomes. Since the closures of the arcades and betting agencies cease to exist, the players would switch to the non-licensed and thus illegal gambling. In such a case the black market benefits.

The criticism of the gambling industry It is by no means new to increase the minimum distance for the terrestrial part of the industry. Associations, actors and experts have already had often critically expressed towards the political measurethat were the subject of many discussions in the federal states. However, the objections of industry and the appeal to politics were only able to rethink a rethink.

Individual assessment. The numerous representatives of the American gambling industry always argue in the same way against flat -rate minimum distances. In this way, politics should measure the individual gambling facilities individually based on their qualitative properties. This is the only way to determine whether a arcade or a betting office adheres to the specifications of the player protection. In contrast, general minimum distances are not the solution and would threaten a lot more livelihoods and jobs.