Schleswig-Holstein aims for online casino licence extension
Expired licences in German state would be extended until 2021 under new bill
The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has introduced new legislation to extend recently-expired online casino licences in the region.
The so-called Jamaica coalition submitted the bill on Wednesday, aiming to extend the licences until June 2021.
The existing 12 licences, which expired on 18 December, had been in operation since 2012 with licensees including GVC Holdings, bet365, 888 and Paddy Power Betfair.
Under the new bill, due to be discussed in the state parliament later this month, a new regulatory framework for gambling in the state must be developed by “mid-2021” at the latest.
Speaking about the wider issue of online gambling regulation in Germany, Hans-Jörn Arp, Parliamentary managing director of the CDU parliamentary group, said regulation of the online market is essential to reducing the spread of illegal gambling. Arp said it was needed “to protect the consumer against financial abuse and addiction risks and to prevent them from entering the black market”.
These sentiments were echoed by Green party MEP Rasmus Andresen, who called on other German states to join Schleswig-Holstein in legalising online gaming.
Online gaming is currently illegal in Germany, apart from Schleswig-Holstein, where it has been licensed and regulated since 2012. The state has largely ploughed its own furrow with regulation, refusing to sign the revised Interstate Treaty on Gambling in 2017.
Officials are due to meet later this month to discuss a new amended version of the interstate treaty, which will remove previous limits on sports betting licences. However, no mention was made in the treaty about the possible legalisation of online gambling.