German Gambling Regulator Appoints Ronald Benter and Benjamin Schwanke as its Leading Executives

Germany’s new gambling regulator, the Glücksspielbehörde, has detailed its ambition to pursue a dual leadership strategy, appointing Ronald Benter and Benjamin Schwanke as its leading executives.

The Glücksspielbehörde’s dual leadership strategy will see Benter and Schwanke jointly coordinate the organisation’s oversight and activities, with the commission aiming to amass around 110 employees and begin taking full supervisory responsibility of the German market by July 2022.

Prior to joining the regulator, Benter worked for the Ministry of the Interior of the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein – the first state to have moved forward with online betting and gaming – leading and overseeing the regional gaming and municipal business law department.

“Our task for the next one and a half years is initially to set up the authority in such a way that it is able to act,” Benter said.

Schwanke is a previous member of the EU Gambling Expert Group, and most recently held the position of Head of the Hamburg Gambling Authority as part of the city’s Interior and Sports Authority.