Löwen Play awarded Schleswig-Holstein licence
German land-based operator permitted to offer online poker and casino.
German operator Löwen Play has become the latest company to be granted a licence in Schleswig-Holstein, having received approval to offer casino games and poker in the jurisdiction.
It becomes the 23rd operator to receive a licence for the verticals, following the authorisations granted to Unibet and Playtech JV partner Merkur-Win earlier this month.
A number of the casino and poker licensees, such as 888 and bet365, are also among the 25 sports betting licensees in the jurisdiction.
However the long-term future of Schleswig-Holstein’s regulations remains in doubt, following last month’s referral of a number of questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The regulations in the breakaway state are in opposition to the federal proposals under State Treaty, which had been agreed upon by the remaining 15 states. Schleswig-Holstein fell into line with the federal regulations more recently, however the compatibility of the State Treaty with EU law remains in question ahead of the German court ruling which resulted in last month’s referral.
Last year saw the European Commission issue a detailed opinion against the proposed federal solution, a stance echoed by lobby group European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). Indeed EGBA suggested the opinion “Sends a clear message that Member States are no longer going to be allowed to impose gaming regulations that fail to meet the tests set by the CJEU.”