The local online gambling industry in Germany is having a rough time. The State of Saxony-Anhalt has imposed a ban over the online casino industry two years ago, and now the highest court of the country rejected a plea by one of the local online casino sports books against the ban. The German online casino sports book claimed that the ban over the gambling industry was not legal, and that a 1990 law that was passed during the Communist reign approved all forms of gambling. Back in 1990, online casino gambling was not even considered as an option, and therefore the bill clearly does not ban the operation of such businesses.
The highest court of Germany decided to reject the pleas by the local online casino sports book, and said that the state, which is one of the 16th states of Germany, has the right to set its own rules and codes of behavior. The court added that no 'disadvantage' was caused to the online casino sports book as a result of the ban, and that the ban over the online casino industry will continue. Hopefully, this will not affect other states in Germany to adopt anti online gambling legislation, and that sports and other online gambling will remain optional in the country.
The court indicated that the online casino sports book can still offer online sports betting for Bavaria and other provinces. The main concern for the German industry is that a new law will be accepted. A new law is being promoted in Germany saying that offshore companies are not able to accept bets from German citizens. Germany's states are trying to protect their nation's lotteries from having to fight off foreign online casino brands, and the result is anti online casino legislation. It's early to tell what will be the end of the story, but things are not simple for the sports and casino betting industry in Germany. One of the positive aspects of the ruling is that Bavaria will not be able to ban the industry before the ruling is over, and that will take time. |
