In a move that will make all German sports bettors outside Schleswig-Holstein smile, an announcement has been made as to the 20 betting providers, including Betfair, who will be allowed to provide gambling services in Germany’s restricted market.
While online gambling has been allowed in Schleswig-Holstein for some time, sports betting has been severely restricted in the other 15 states of Germany. While the other 15 states signed the State Treaty on Gambling, Schleswig-Holstein chose to implement its own regime. This has changed, though, with the change in government in Germany’s northernmost state and the subsequent change in the gambling regime when the state signed up to the interstate regulatory regime.
Now we’re looking at a new situation where German players will finally be able to play online. Why do we say “finally,” though? Well, the state treaty itself was signed back in December 2011, and since the licenses were put out to tender in mid-2012, it’s taken more than 2 years to get anywhere.
And this unfortunately may not quite be the end, as the official announcement will only be made on 18 September at the earliest (coincidentally the same day as the Scottish independence referendum). Losing bidders for licenses will also undoubtedly appeal the decision in court, which could drag the issue out even longer. Nevertheless, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for our German readers, who up until now have been limited in what they can and cannot place bets on.
The team at Betfair, of course, are massively excited about the new opportunities this development presents. Betfair had troubles in Germany in late 2012, and in fact closed down its German betting exchange, due to problems with the tax system, but this new development means that honest players in the 16 states will have access to some of the best sports bets available online.
We’ll keep you posted on future developments, but this tidbit will be a breath of fresh air for all our German readers whose options have thus far been limited. When anything new happens, we’ll let you know, so make sure to check back in for all the latest updates on slots and sports betting anywhere on the internet.