Neutralisiertes Strafrecht

The study discusses the question whether the people in charge at EU-licensed providers of online casino gambling without a domestic license can be rendered liable to prosecution for illegal gambling as per sec 284 German Criminal Code. The answer to that question depends on how the structures of the relevant criminal provision are interpreted. Appropriately defining the criminal provison as being accessory to administrative law, its implementation depends on both EU law and constitutional conformity of national German administrative gambling law. Since it remains uncertain whether the prohibition of online casinos through German administrative law is compatible with EU law, sec. 284 German Criminal Code is non applicable to EU-licensed providers of online casinos since 2006. Such neutralised criminal law causes trouble if it evolves into a long-running phenomenon like sec. 284 German Criminal Code.