Comment: Schleswig-Holstein v 15 states: the legal battle turns political

by Dr. Wulf Hambach and Dr. Stefan Bolay

The German State of Schleswig-Holstein recently approved a liberal gambling law, ignoring the wish of the 15 other federal states to agree on a new Interstate Treaty on Gambling (ITG), which advocates tight gambling regulation and a limited number of operators. Dr. Wulf Hambach and Dr. Stefan Bolay, of Hambach & Hambach Rechtsanwälte, analyse the latest developments and discuss how this legal battle has turned into a fierce political debate.
One month after the ratification of the Schleswig-Holstein Gambling Reform Act, on 14 September 2011, which legalises major parts of the online gambling market, Schleswig-Holstein’s leading newspaper Lübecker Nachrichten reported ‘a wave of online gambling operators’ intending to apply for a 2012 remote licence in Schleswig-Holstein and already making deals with regional sports clubs such as VfB Lübeck. What triggered this new wave?

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Kiel Gaming Act gets support from Denmark and from the Liberal Party – Social Democratic Party (SPD) continues its collision course with Brussels

By Dr. Wulf Hambach

Copenhagen/Kiel, in October 2011 – Flashback: 17 December 2010 was a cold pre-Christmas day – whilst outside an icy wind blew around the Kiel parliament building, the conservative-liberal coalition government engaged in a heated debate with the social democrats in the plenary hall. The agitated discussion was triggered during the first reading of the Kiel model act, which is based on the Danish model for the regulation of gaming. It was this path-finding look towards the north which the fathers of the Kiel draft, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) economics expert Hans-Jörn Arp and FPD chief strategist Wolfgang Kubicki, were accused of by the SPD. The criticism in the Kiel parliament was that they had bet on a dead horse. The reason: In autumn 2010, the EU Commission had admitted for examination an EU state aid complaint due to the low taxation of online games in comparison to terrestrial games. In this context, the Danish reform project, which had obtained international praise, initially got caught in the web of the terrestrial casino lobby. … Continue Reading

An Opening To the US Internet Market: How Can I Line Up To Get An Internet Poker License In Nevada and Why Should I?

by Anthony Cabot

The debate over Internet poker in the United States no longer appears to be a question of whether it will become legal, but rather when and how it will become legal. Legalizing Internet gambling is being considered at both the state and Federal levels. Legislation before Congress proposes a Federal scheme for licensing and regulating poker and games of chance. Realistically, however, if Congress passes legislation, it will likely permit Internet poker only. This is because poker, a game with a high-skill component, is perceived as different–both historically and practically–from games of chance. A poker-only Federal regulation scheme would likely leave it up to the states to determine how to legalize, license and regulate games of chance and lottery-style games. Meanwhile, states would be limited if poker is regulated at the Federal level; more than likely, the new Federal laws would preempt each state from adopting its own approach to legalizing, licensing and regulating Internet poker. … Continue Reading

Gambling Payments Intensive

World Online Gambling Law Report and E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy are proud to announce the launch of the fourth Gambling Payments Intensive, which will be held in central London on 27 October 2011.

Online gambling is the subject of much controversy internationally, as are the associated payments systems and operators. Online gaming and payments systems are notoriously difficult to regulate and, as a result, are subject to intense scrutiny.

The recent ‘Black Friday’ events in the US and their impact on payment processors, internet gaming operators and governments worldwide – most notably France and Alderney – illustrate the interdependence between payments systems and internet gambling operators, and highlighted the need for a clear, consistent approach to online gambling payment regulation.

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Legal Gaming in Europe Conference

Navigate the new landscape of European gambling laws in a post Green Paper era

• Determine the value of the Green Paper: Assess whether the European Commission is on track to establish a harmonised EU-wide framework and what minimum standards are required at an EU level with respect to consumer protection and preventing fraud
• Conquer opening markets: Understand the ins and outs of the regulatory framework in the EU’s newest opening regulated markets, including Spain, Denmark and Greece, in order to simplify your expansion strategy
• Updates on regulated markets: Ensure your business is in align with the latest legal developments and changes to products
• Leading operator case-studies: Hear from leading operators on how they are managing the complexities of multi-jurisdictional licenses; understand what the Green Paper means to them and their approach to new markets
• The USA: Assess the fallout from the Full Tilt situation and the Black Friday scandal. Discover the full impact for the operators involved, the lessons learnt by Regulators and what the long-term implications are for the entire industry

For more information please visit