Partial success for Bet3000: bookmakers reopened but online gambling remains banned!
Bet3000, a sports betting provider, is allowed to operate its over 200 stationary betting shops in Germany again, at least for now. The bookmaker announced this on its website, which is still in maintenance mode. However, the online business remains prohibited for the brand.
Bet3000 Back on the Whitelist
The legal steps taken by Bet3000 against the license revocation by the GGL seem to have paid off quickly. The website of the sports betting provider states that the operation of stationary offers has been permitted since August 6, 2024.
A look at the current GGL whitelist confirms this statement. However, it notes that Bet3000 is only permitted to operate terrestrial offers.
According to the industry magazine games & business, it is now known why Bet3000 temporarily lost its license. Irregularities occurred with the LUGAS system, which controls the deposit limits of players.
This could mean that deposits beyond the limit were possible at Bet3000, which would have been a breach of the State Treaty on Gaming. Such negligence could endanger player protection and also violate anti-money laundering guidelines.
Landmark Ruling by the OVG Magdeburg?
The OVG Magdeburg has made a potentially landmark decision in the Bet3000 case under file number 3 O 123/24.
A spokesperson for the company explained that the court believes that "the permit for the operation of sports betting is divisible", which could set a precedent for the future. The divisibility refers to the separate licensing of the online offer and the stationary business.
There are still other gambling companies on the GGL whitelist that operate both an online offer and a branch network. If there were any violations in the online business of one of these providers in the future, this would generally not have consequences for the stationary offer - and vice versa.
Final Decision Still Pending
Even though Bet3000 celebrated the interim decision of the OVG Magdeburg as a "great interim success", the final verdict will be made by the Administrative Court of Halle.
At present, it can only be speculated whether the Administrative Court of Halle will adopt the assessment of the OVG Magdeburg. The latter has so far only made a preliminary weighing.
The interim decision by the OVG Magdeburg in the Bet3000 case could potentially change the future of gambling regulatory practices. The court believes that the permit for sports betting can be divided, meaning separate licensing for online and stationary businesses.
News of Bet3000's temporary loss of its license was due to irregularities with the LUGAS system, which handles deposit limits for players, leading to potential breaches of the State Treaty on Gaming and anti-money laundering guidelines.
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