Germany lock-out could continue "for years"

Online sports betting operators who were awarded a licence by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior last month could remain locked out of the market “for years”, one company representative has told eGaming Review.

Klaus Fahrnberger, investor relations manager at Austria-based bet-at-home.com, said the decision to temporarily suspend the process following legal challenges could result in a substantial delay.

“If the judges have in further proceedings [decided] that the outcome of the main proceedings must be awaited, the licences would not come into effect for years,” he added.

And Fahrnberger also said that should legal proceedings continue to drag on, a decision would have to be made as to “whether the entire structure must be replaced”.

His comments come less than a week after bwin.party chief Norbert Teufelberger said his firm would continue to act as normal in the country as long as the regulatory landscape remained unclear, which he expected to continue for at least another year.

“We estimate that we are going to continue operating in Germany as is for another year or two, until we have clarity,” Teufelberger said.

The regulatory uncertainty follows the rejection of an appeal against the suspension two weeks ago, leaving operators waiting on decisions from Administrative Courts in German cities of Wiesbaden, Hamburg and Frankfurt.

Some operators such as mybet have previously reiterated optimism that the market could still open early next year, however sources familiar with the matter suggest that it will be several months before the courts have even finished compiling evidence.