All 16 German states unanimously voted to bring a controversial anti-gambling law into effect on the first day of the New Year. The law would effectively ban all foreign operators from offering online gambling services to German citizens and was created to protect the country’s state monopolies on national lotteries and other forms of betting.

With conditions remarkably similar to the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the new German law dictates restrictions on gambling advertising and may also request that internet service providers block player access to certain sites. Banks and financial institutions may also be asked to block payment to these sites under the new law.