GGL Names Hochgrebe Chair as Germany Treaty Review Nears
Germany’s Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) changed the chair of its Administrative Board on 1 July 2026. Christian Hochgrebe now holds the role under the regulator’s rotation system, replacing Sandro Kirchner, who led the board during the previous term.
Hochgrebe serves as State Secretary for Interior Affairs in Berlin’s Senate Department for the Interior and Sport. Kirchner serves as State Secretary in Bavaria’s Ministry of the Interior, Sport and Integration.
According to GGL, the change follows a year in which Kirchner coordinated the Administrative Board’s work and supported closer cooperation with Germany’s federal states. The official release presents the handover as a governance rotation, not a change in GGL’s legal remit.
Treaty Review Moves Onto Hochgrebe’s Agenda
Hochgrebe takes the chair as GGL prepares for the upcoming evaluation of the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag, Germany’s Interstate Treaty on Gambling. The treaty has governed Germany’s current regulated online gambling model since 2021.
In the GGL statement, Hochgrebe said the regulator must continue to shape and review current developments and existing structures. He named the treaty evaluation, any adjustments drawn from it, supervision of legal operators and action against illegal gambling structures as key themes for the year ahead.
World Casino Directory, citing the official GGL release, reported that the review may bring attention to areas such as advertising rules, deposit limits, player protection duties and responsible gambling measures. It also reported that core product restrictions, including the €1 stake limit for online slots, are not expected to be reopened.
Those points do not appear in the GGL release itself. Operators should treat them as secondary-source context rather than a confirmed regulatory agenda from the German authority.
Illegal Gambling Controls Remain a Priority
Kirchner used his final statement as chair to point to progress on staffing, digital control and enforcement against illegal gambling. He said GGL had made key personnel decisions and taken further steps toward digital sovereignty.
Another area he highlighted was enforcement against illegal operators. Kirchner said measures had intensified through action involving host providers and payment blocking.
For licensed operators, that matters because GGL continues to target the infrastructure that illegal brands need to reach German players. Pressure on hosting and payments can affect unlicensed operators beyond the gambling site itself.
Kirchner also said the regulatory frame for the legal market had been adjusted to raise the appeal of licensed offers. World Casino Directory linked that point to Germany’s channelisation problem, where licensed operators compete against offshore brands that do not follow the same product and compliance limits.
Federal State Cooperation Stays Central
The GGL said it will continue to work closely with Germany’s federal states to maintain uniform supervision of the gambling market. That cooperation matters because treaty evaluation and any later amendments depend on political alignment between the Länder, not only the regulator’s own priorities.
Ronald Benter, a member of the GGL Executive Board, said cooperation with the states rests on mutual trust and support. He added that GGL sees itself as prepared for the challenges of Hochgrebe’s chairmanship year.
For operators, the immediate operational effect looks limited. The larger issue is what the treaty review produces next: stricter enforcement, revised rules for legal operators or limited relief for licensed brands that compete with the illegal market.
💡TGJ Take
Hochgrebe’s appointment is procedural, but the timing gives it weight. Germany’s licensed operators need the treaty review to address channelisation, not only illegal-market enforcement. If the review leaves core product limits untouched while it adds new control duties, legal brands may still struggle to match offshore competitors on player offer. Affiliates and suppliers should track the formal review agenda closely, because advertising rules, deposit controls and slot restrictions become business risk only if they enter the confirmed policy process.
