Germany’s Betting Law Updates
In 2012, Germany announced its plans to reorganise its gambling market in a manner that would allow international gambling operators to provide betting services in a regulated environment. The legal update was called the Interstate Treaty of Gambling and promised positive results for the industry. In reality, however, it managed to quickly disappoint the gambling enthusiasts as it capped the number of licenses that would be issued to 20 and did not take any specific actions for the regulation of online casino games and poker. The European Commission disapproved of the legislation claiming that it violated key principles for the free movement of services. The Treaty was rewritten and reintroduced in 2017. Its new version, however, only raised the caps of licenses to 40, instead of removing them altogether. Moreover, the updated legislation did not contain any provision for the regulation of online casinos. In order to be officially implemented, the Treaty had to be approved by all 16 German states. This, however, did not happen and the legislation could not take effect.
The unsteady legal gambling situation in Germany undoubtedly affected the gambling industry and specifically GVC Holdings. We remind you that the company owns some of the biggest casino brands in Germany such as bwin and the legal changes in the country inevitably affect its business.
PayPal No Longer available in German GVC Brands
As mentioned above, GVC Holdings has decided to remove PayPal as a payment option from all its German casino sites. The company’s decision came into force on December 19, 2018, and all affected GVC affiliate partners were informed about it by email. GVC Holdings has not given any official statements or explanations about its decision. According to certain suggestions, however, GVC Holdings’ decision was based on the complicated legal gambling situation in Germany. We remind you that PayPal is one of the most popular payment methods around the world and its removal from GVC Holdings’ German casinos will potentially affect the company’s profits. GVC Holdings holds one of the biggest casino brands in Germany including bwin, Party Casino, and Casino Club. The company has provided German players with many alternative payment methods such as Neteller, Skrill, PaySafeCard and others. And for some more information, you can see what casino affiliate programs have to offer and how the partnerships are beneficial for players.
GVC Holdings Main Information
- Company: GVC Holdings PLC
- Founded: 21/12/2004
- Headquarters: 32 Athol Street Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1JB
- Website: https://gvc-plc.com/
- Markets: London Stock Exchange, FTSE100
- Regulatory EU Licences: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Greece (interim), Ireland, Italy, Malta, Northern Ireland, Romania, Republic of Georgia, Spain.
- Brands: bwin, Ladbrokes, Coral, Sportingbet, Betboo, Betdaq Gamebookers, Crystalbet, Stadium, Sportium, Eurobet, partypoker, PartyCasino, Gala Bingo, Gala Casino, Foxy Bingo, Foxy Casino, CasinoClub, Gioco Digitale etc.
