Germany approves revised gambling treaty

Despite the heavy criticism from the European Commission (EC), Germany approved a new federal gambling treaty. Industry experts believe that this move could lead to an expansion of Germany’s sports betting market.

The leaders of 16 states of Germany voted to approve the new State Treaty on Gambling. It lifts the previous treaty’s controversial cap on the number of available sports betting licences. Further, the treaty aims to increase enforcement against unauthorised operators and allows the future possibility of legalising online casino gambling activity.

The treaty, which will take effect on January 2018, must still be ratified by each individual German state. It was reported that politicians of the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein have already advised that the treaty is unlikely to be approved, even though the state has a long tradition of supporting online gambling.

Earlier this month EC expressed their criticism stating that the treaty was “not a viable solution” to the problems highlighted in the failed 2012 treaty.

The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) said the vote was a “small step in the right direction”, but the new regulations are “not yet suitable for creating an attractive legal offering” that will convince German punters to support local betting sites.

In the meantime, Mybet commented: “As a member of the DSWV the company supports the offer by the association to start a dialogue with politicians to develop a mutually satisfactory sustainable solution.”