Online casinos and sports betting providers under German regulation were initially far from being clearly recognisable to all players. Only a small note in the footer referred to the German licence or the responsibility of the Darmstadt Regional Council and later the Joint Gambling Authority of the Länder (GGL). This has now changed.
Chris_W
On the 29th of June, the Federal Fiscal Court published an interesting press release regarding the taxation of poker winnings. It states that winnings from online poker may be subject to income tax in Germany. But under what conditions will poker winnings be taxable in this country?
Christian_1994
It's crazy how the video game landscape has evolved over the last 30 or 40 years: Once upon a time, we were amazed by pixelated strokes and dots in monochrome colours that we could move with a few buttons. Today, however, we can immerse ourselves in huge worlds and characters that increasingly resemble reality or even go beyond its boundaries. In the process, games of chance are also becoming more and more common. These are often not clearly recognisable as such.
Chris_W
Malta has introduced a new law to protect its gambling companies from lawsuits relating to the recovery of losses from abroad. Initially, the German authorities accepted the development rather passively. Now, however, there is a certain amount of resentment. What are the first reactions?
Chris_W
The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) has revoked an already granted licence from the first gambling company. To be more precise, Tipster Limited's permission to organise sports betting on the internet and in stationary operations was revoked with the announcement of a corresponding notice. But why did tipster lose the German licence again so quickly?
Christian_1994
Reports of lawsuits against online casinos in which customers successfully recover lost stakes are now commonplace. Many of the gaming platforms involved offered their services under licence in Malta before the GlüStV 2021 came into force - and some still do. Now, the Maltese government wants to protect the local gambling industry from such claims with a new law.
Chris_W
A judgement given by the Oberverwaltungsgericht Saxony-Anhalt states that the collateral clause about advertisements which is incorporated in the State Gambling Act is lawful. In a preliminary redress mechanism, the court had confirmed the Gambling Authority’s perspective. We are talking here about the ban on affiliate marketing when linked with legal and illegal games of chance offers. What is the impact of the OVG judgement?
Christian_1994
Games of chance seem to be omnipresent, especially on the internet. We are seeing advertisements for sports betting, casinos, and slots in all places. Now a study has revealed that more than 90 % of these measures are illegal. Can that be possible?
Chris_W
In the past we have on several occasions spoken about the request for reimbursement of casino losses. Meanwhile there have already been several judgements which very often were in favour of the players. The judgements which very often favoured the players have led to the fact that even more legal forms want to profit from the situation as well. They often offer the players the so-called “immediate recoupment”. Should players enter such a deal?
Christian_1994
Recently the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, (GGL) which is the gambling authority responsible for all regions in Germany, registered a victory at the VG München. The authority had initiated prohibition proceedings against what in its opinion was illegal gambling content streamed on the internet page of a German TV station. Now the court ruled in favour of the authority and ordered the TV station to remove the illegal games of chance from its website. But which type of gambling was this?
Christian_1994
The problem of illegal games of chance is a constant problem for the regions. Three years ago, the police commissioner in Gießen had had enough. The fight against these services was drastically intensified. The special organisational structure “Spektrum” was created. The successes heaped up – and now the model will be adopted for the whole region of Hessen. The municipalities are really pleased.
Christian_1994
In late Summer 2022 there were already reports in the German media about the 17-year-old apprentice from Carinthia who had made a complaint against the PlayStation group Sony. The claimant’s lawyer sees an infringement against the Austrian Gambling Legislation in the player selection in the FIFA loot boxes which is generated randomly after money is transferred. Several complaints followed. The case was heard at the end of February 2023.
Chris_W
From July 2021, amusement arcades in Baden-Württemberg cannot be located within 500 metres of children's and youth facilities. This distance requirement also applies to the premises themselves. If a casino is too close to a school, kindergarten, etc., it will not be allowed to offer games of chance. or does not have sufficient distance to its competitors, it will receive a letter from the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg. These regulations have already forced some casinos to close their doors. However, two operators do not want to go that way. Following a complaint, they have been vindicated for the time being!
Chris_W
Two weeks ago, the Oberverwaltungsgericht Rheinland-Pfalz decided in a summary proceeding that in Germany blocking is illegal. The GGL, the Gambling Authority for all the regions in Germany had threatened an internet provider based in Rhineland Palatinate with a high fine, if a particular illegal gambling site is not blocked. The GGL has thus suffered its first legal setback.
Christian_1994
In the past weeks and months, we have reported several times about the requests for reimbursement of casino losses. The players have often suffered losses and received no reimbursement. In a recent case, the District Court of Ulm has accepted the request for reimbursement of 170,000 Euro made by the player. How did it come up to this amount and what was the reason for the judge’s decision?
Christian_1994