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The potential issue of new online casino licenses in Germany might represent a major step for a country that has been going through a hard period of uncertainties.
This is an interesting article initially published on All-in blog by my German colleagues Michael Stulz-Herrnstadt and Christoph Engelmann.
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After the elections in the German state Schleswig-Holstein the Christian Democrats, Free Democrats and Greens plan on a new gambling law in their coalition negotiations.
The Greens mention on their website that the coalition does not want to implement the new State Treaty on Gambling into their state law. Instead, they plan on resigning from the State Treaty and on passing a new gambling law together with the states North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. The new gambling law is supposed to be based on the 2012 Schleswig-Holstein gambling law. Other than the State Treaty on Gambling, it intends to offer (new) licenses not online for sports betting but also for online casinos including poker games.
State revenues will be used for prevention of gambling addiction, consumer protection, grassroots sport and common public interest. Brick-and-mortar casinos will be sold neutral in terms of effect on competition after the online licenses have been issued.
This is a very exciting development for operators that are looking into the German market. After the new State Treaty on Gambling has been criticized in recent court decisions it now looks like at least a few states might rethink their current gambling policies.
