ComeOn Group picks up German sports betting licences

ComeOn Group will offer sports betting in Germany via three brands.

Germany.- ComeOn Group has secured a German sports betting licence and will launch three of its brands in the country. It’s been added to the state of Sachsen-Anhalt’s “whitelist” of licensed operators and will operate via sunmaker.de, comeonwetten.de and mobilebet.de.

Germany’s new gambling legislation came into effect almost a year ago but the market hasn’t seen an auspicious start. Only one slots operator has gained a licence and sports betting licensees have lodged lawsuits against the state of Hesse to challenge the market’s regulations.

The state will be represented by the Regional Council of Darmstadt, which confirmed that “all holders of permits for both land-based and online sports betting” had filed lawsuits. The operators complained that the market conditions, which limit in-play betting to match winners and total goals, favour unlicensed offshore competitors.

The operator association DSWV has repeatedly warned that this, together with the high tax rate and a €1,000 monthly deposit limit for almost all customers, pushes players towards the black market.

Germany’s Fourth Interstate Treaty on gambling finally came into force on July 1 last year, adding online casino gaming with similarly restrictive conditions, as well as a €2 stake limit on slots. To date, no online casino licences have been granted by the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which was designated as the temporary regulator.

Meanwhile, Kindred Group, which had applied for licences, has decided to withdraw its Unibet brand from the German market due to slow progress with licensing and tight restrictions.

Kindred had applied for a sports betting licence in February 2020 and for online slots last year but said the process was taking too long, with it yet to receive a decision. It has now withdrawn its sportsbook and online slots licence applications and will halt operations in the country from July 1.

New players can no longer register on Unibet’s German site and deposits have been blocked. The site will remain open for existing players to bet and withdraw funds until June 30.

Kindred said it has been a “difficult decision” but suggested that it had doubts about the financial viability of the German market. It said the application processes, and the terms and restrictions on the market, were unsustainable and would not allow it to stand up against competition from unlicensed offerings.

See also: New German gambling regulator to create whistleblower platform