Huge Interest for Sports Betting in Hesse- 30 Operators Applied for Licenses so far

As far as the spokesperson for the Council states, The Regional Council of Darmstadt, the Hessian body in charge of handling the federal sports wagering licensing process, confirmed a huge interest for certificates. So far, 30 operators have filed their applications, with 20 more considering to .

Compared to January, this represents a steady rise. Just to remind, at that time, the Regional Council announced 11 applications, with 7 more expressing their interest to obtain approval. However, it still remains to be seen whether these initial applicants will gain licenses after all, and when exactly could that take place.

Blocking Orders to be Issued?

According to German media reports, the Council was preparing to issue first blocking orders against companies that continued to offer their products and services to citizens without intending to apply for approval.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claimed…

…that it would target up to ten operators in the crackdown on illegal activities since the third amended State Treaty on Gambling came into force from 1 January. However, the Council made no comments on these allegations.

As a small reminder, in December 2019, at a time when no companies had submitted applications or expressed interest in applying, a warning was issued pointing out that unlicensed activity would not be tolerated.

The State Treaty Encounters Criticism

After 30 June 2021, when this legislation expires, it will be replaced with new State Gambling Treaty-the Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV). The Treaty, which aims to regulate online slots, table games and poker alongside sports betting, is currently being discussed by German lawmakers, with a state Minister-Presidents meeting scheduled for 5 March.

However, the draft treaty is already being criticized, as there are many points which are not easy to agree on. For example, it aims to offer separate certificates for online slots and table games, with slot stakes capped at €1 per spin, limited duration of spins at 5 seconds and several more modifications.

States will have an opt-out for table games regulation…

… and could even simply hand their lotteries a monopoly in the vertical. However, the main stumbling block is live dealer bets. Many suggest that too strict controls – and a €1,000 cross-operator spending cap for players could push players to unlicensed platforms.

In addition to this, marketing is also among the troublesome fields, as certain rules could greatly affect s. As far as outlined in the analysis, the Treaty aims to impose limitations during the prime time not only on radio and TV but on the Internet as well.

Bodies such as the Deutscher Sportwettenverband, European Gaming, and Betting Association and media trade body Vaunet have each called for significant changes.

Source:

“Hesse receives 30 sportsbook license applications”, igamingbusiness.com, February 25, 2020.