Bet365 to turn off casino in Germany
Operator thought to be preparing for temporary sports betting licences in the new year
Bet365 will turn off its casino product in Germany in the new year, EGR understands.
The Stoke-headquartered firm emailed affiliates about the change this week, saying it would only be offering sports betting in the country from December 30.
“Can you please arrange for any promotion of any of bet365’s non-sports products in German to be removed from your sites by Monday 30th December,” the email said. “Please note that the Gaming products will still be available in Austria.”
The company did not specify the reason for the change and did not respond to an EGR request for comment, however, German regulators have been ramping up their efforts against online casino in recent weeks.
Earlier in December, the interior minister of Hesse (the state in charge of sports betting licensing), issued a warning via the press, reiterating that that online gaming will be prohibited as part of the terms of the temporary betting licence it is working on.
Regulus Partners said in a note this month there was a “very high risk” of strong action against non-compliant operators from the administrators and/or the courts early in Q1 2020.
Bet365 is relatively small in Germany and relatively small in casino compared to sports betting, making the decision to turn off casino an easier one.
Hesse also said a licence will be required to offer sports betting from the New Year, although it had received no applications as of the start of December.