Sports betting in Hesse gets no applicants

The licencing process for sports betting in the German state of Hesse had not a single application, Minister for the Interior Peter Beuth revealed.

Germany.- Updating regulations for each gaming segment is a key subject for a healthy industry. However, sports betting in Hesse seems to be more difficult than expected, as the licencing process had no applicants.

Local Minister for the Interior Peter Beuth disclosed the lack of applications. However, he warned operators to cease offering sports betting in Hesse. He advanced that those that fail to comply will face immediate action.

“I urgently warn operators that from January 2020, sports betting is subject to authorisation,”  Beuth said. “There will be no more toleration [of unlicensed offerings]. We will consistently prohibit illegal offerings. If you do not have permission then you are liable for prosecution, and the state will be forced to act.

“Advertising for sportsbook providers would then no longer be shown, whether on television or in stadia.”

Re-regulating the German market

Deutsche Automatenwirtschaft (DAW), which is the umbrella association in charge of gaming machine manufacturers and suppliers, has published a key paper. It highlights a series of changes that must be addressed before a re-regulation of the market.

DAW said that in order to further strengthen player protection, a coherent regulation based exclusively on quality criteria is needed. It also said that it should be based on its key issue paper. In it, it makes concrete proposals for the regulation of the commercial slots machines.