Sports Betting, Online Poker & Co.: BGH Refers German Gambling Regulations to the ECJ

by Dr. Wulf Hambach and Maximilian Riege

Not only the Commission, but also the BGH now has its doubts regarding the German gambling system. Does the special act in Schleswig-Holstein on its own render void the inter-state treaty between the other federal states? And what happens now that the new Schleswig-Holstein government has decided to join the inter-state treaty after all? Wulf Hambach and Maximilian Riege think that there is a danger of a new negative ruling from Luxembourg. … Continue Reading

Schleswig-Holstein has issued further sports-betting and online-casino licences

The controversy is: 22 companies now have a sports betting licence in the northern state whereas the other 15 states still only want to approve 20 concessions.

By Tobias Kuske, SPONSORs

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Belgian online gambling at a critical moment further to European Commission Action

By Tatjana Klaeser

The story so far…

Under the Belgian Gaming Act (BGA), to be granted a license for the operation of games of chance online, the applicant must already hold an equivalent land-based license, the online license being considered a “supplementary license” to authorised casinos, gaming arcades and betting shops (offline requirement). … Continue Reading

Santiago Asensi receives IMGL President’s Award

Santiago Asensi of Asensi Abogados in Spain was honored at the IMGL Autumn Conference in London on 12 October. This is the second award from IMGL to one of the founders of Gaminglaw.eu after Quirino Mancini received his President’s Award in 2009.

The President’s award is given by the IMGL President to an individual who is not an IMGL officer in recognition of the awardee’s outstanding service to the IMGL. Mr. Asensi chaired the Madrid Autumn Conference in 2010 and is the co-editor of IMGL’s Spanish language magazine La Ley del Juego. He has also assisted in the planning of numerous IMGL member receptions at EiG as a member of both IMGL and GamingLaw.eu. Upon receiving the award, Mr. Asensi thanked Mr. J. Kelly Duncan, and also Dr. Wulf Hambach of Hambach & Hambach in Germany for being his mentor and encouraging him to join the IMGL.

http://www.gaminglawmasters.com/

European iGaming Legal Outlook 2013 – Germany

Germany: Hope and Fear for the Online Gambling Industry – the EU has to intervene…again!

The European gambling market remains a regulatory construction site, and Germany is anything but innocent in this regard. Whilst large parts of Europe have in the meantime passed modern gambling acts geared towards competitiveness and player protection, the German federal states have shifted into reverse gear with the first amending inter-state treaty on gambling (1. GlüÄndStV, or E 15 model) – at least 15 of the 16 federal states, as, up to now, the state gambling act initiated by the CDU and FDP is still effective in Schleswig-Holstein – an act which industry experts consider to be a milestone, as it, among other issues, also regulates the online poker and online casino market.

Find the whole article here