German licensing worries mount with Digibet case
Hessian Interior Ministry again accused of lack of transparency as doubts over procedure increase
Concerns about the German sports betting licensing procedure continue to mount as the regulator today prepares to face a legal case brought by Digibet concerning the issue at the European Court of Justice.
Domestic operator Digibet has been critical of the licensing process with requirements yet to be disclosed by the Hessian Interior Ministry to the European Commission and the operator claiming there to be a lack of transparency.
The case is being heard days after reports in the Frankfurt press quoted an official at the Hessian Ministry of the Interior as suggesting that the first licences will be issued in Q4 2014, however eGaming Review understands that those involved in the process consider that date to be “optimistic”.
“I think it’s no longer a question if we have licences before this summer’s World Cup, it’s before which World Cup,” one source close to the matter said.
The case is similar to other proceedings launched in the German district courts of Sonthofen and Wiesbaden which have sought to clarify specific details of the licensing procedure and accelerate the process.
“The referral of the Local Court aims at bringing all the flaws which the licensing process under the Interstate Treaty is tainted with to the European court level,” Matthias Spitz, attorney at German legal firm MELCHERS, said.
Last week the Hessian Administrative Court of Appeal repealed an earlier court order that sought to force the regulator to make a decision on the licence application of state-owned operator ODS Oddset Deutschland Sportwetten GmbH within three months.
The Hessian Interior Ministry has yet to respond to requests for comment on this article.