Schleswig Holstein approves three more sports betting licences
BetVictor, Interwetten and bet90 secure approval despite regional government pledging to scrap legislation in favour of Federal treaty.
The Ministry of the Interior of Schleswig Holstein has awarded three new sports betting licences and revealed that 23 other companies are under consideration for a licence despite its new government pledging to return to the country’s Federal State Treaty.
Victor Chandler International Ltd, Interwetten and the Malta-licensed bet90 are the the latest operators to be approved to offer online sports betting bringng the total to 15 companies licensed by the Land. These include bet365, Ladbrokes and bwin.party, with Betfair, Die Nordwestlotto Schleswig-Holstein and mybet (formerly JAXX SE) the first to be licensed.
Betfair, however has since announced that it has withdrawn form the German market citing “unviable” conditions following the country’s introduction of a controversial State Treaty that would impose a 5% turnover tax and limit the number of products to just 20 sports betting licences.
Today has also seen Austrian bookmaker Admiral Sportwetten secure a retail licence to offer bets to customers in Schleswig-Holstein through its Rellingen and Gumpoldskirchen-based subsidiaries.
Commenting on the latest round of licences, Schleswig Holstein minister of the interior Andreas Breitner said that the territory sets “exemplary standards for security and transparency of gambling,” adding that regulation eliminates “the potential for anonymous games and money laundering at the same time.”
The move to approve more operators to offer gambling online comes despite the newly-elected coalition government moving to repeal legislation earlier this year in order to bring the Land in line with Germany’s Interstate Gambling Treaty. At the time Sozialdemokratisches Partei (SDP) head Ralf Stegner pledged to abolish legislation, saying:
“We are beginning to clear the minefield in the German gambling legislation left by our predecessors in Schleswig-Holstein. We will take all the time we need [to change the existing legal framework]. But in the end, Schleswig-Holstein will join the other 15 states under a common gambling law.”
This comes despite Breitner promising that the seven certified operators would not have their licences repealed following the election. This was followed by five additional companies being approved to offer online sports betting in August this year.
The terms proposed by the Treaty, which include a 5% turnover tax and restrict operators to offering sports betting, have been dismissed by the European Commission, though this has not prevented 15 of the 16 Länder from ratifying the treaty with Schleswig Holstein the only exception. bwin.party co-CEO Jim Ryan confirmed earlier this year that his company would apply for a federal licence despite continuing to argue that it “fails to meet the requirements of EU law.”
The Land of Hesse, which has been given responsibility to oversee the licensing process, last month announced that it has extended the application deadline until 21 January 2013.