German body awards sports betting licences

Online gaming and betting provider mybet Holding has been named as one of the first group of operators to have been awarded a German sports betting licence by the Hesse Ministry of the Interior and Sport (HMDIS).

The licence, which will not be issued until September 18, will enable mybet to offer a sports betting service to players in the country.

The delay in the issuance of the licence is to allow those operators that had their applications turned down to pursue legal recourse in the hope of gaining a licence.

The German body is reported to have issued 20 federal sports betting licences to a host of both international and local operators.

All licensed operators must now adhere to the various gambling and sports betting policies featured in the German state Treaty on Gambling, Glücksspielstaatsvertrag.

Despite the new licence structure, Dr. Wulf Hambach of German law firm Hambach & Hambach told iGaming Business he is unsure as to whether the licences will actually help the German gambling industry.

“The licences will mean more lawsuits and regulatory insecurity since those many operators will try to stop the application proceeding,” Dr Hambach said.

Dr Hambach also said that he does not believe the licences will stop players in Germany from accessing illegal betting websites.

“If you limit the number of licences and limit the games to sports betting and install an unreasonable tax, then the players will not evidentially change their gaming behaviour.”

 

Published on 3 September on iGamingBusiness