European Union really tries to force Germany to liberalize the gambling industry within its walls...
Gambling in Germany is legal throughout the entire country. The nation is composed of sixteen different states, each with its own set of stringent gambling regulations and control over the states’ monopolies. Despite that fact, the German gambling industry is booming. But this only refers to the physical and offline forms of the traditional gambling. Since 2008, any kind of online casinos or forms of gambling were officially banned throughout the country and deemed illegal.
German & European Union Gambling Legislation
Germany’s gambling laws and the gambling laws passed by the European Union continue to contradict each other. Despite the fact that the European Union’s gambling laws allow all forms of gambling and promote competitions, Germany has other rules and regulations for its citizens. However, it’s not the only country in the European continent to do so.
The Interstate Treaty became effective at the start of the New Year in 2008. This act prohibited all forms of online gaming and gambling in Germany. The only exception was horse racing and betting. Anything else from casinos, sports betting, lotteries and bingo are only considered legal if they’re practiced offline in their traditional and physical formats. This law also provided the ability to block any access to online casinos and gambling sites that are offered by other nations. It even forbids German banks from conducting online transactions with internet gaming and gambling sites. However, there was a limit set on the legislation so that it would expire at the start of the 2012 year. Despite the fact that the European Union repeatedly tries to force Germany to liberalize the gambling industry within its walls, the German government refuses to oblige. There is the lingering hope, however, that the German market will eventually be more open to different forms of gambling and gaming.
Bright Future Prospects
One of the German states, Schleswig-Holstein, has already passed its own gambling bill which regulates and allows online gaming and gambling. This initiative was supported by the European Union Commission and considered to be the start of something new for the German nation. This particular bill even allows online casino operators to apply for gambling licenses within the state. The first online gambling site was opened on March 1, 2012.
These new rules were not just meant to open the market more, but they also managed to create more favorable conditions for business development. Now, there are an unlimited number of web-gambling licenses as well as a 20% tax on the gross profit. Specialists believe that this new act passed by the Schleswig-Holstein state is one of the first and more rebellious breakthroughs for Germany’s online gambling industry. There’s also the possibility that many more online gambling and gaming operators will offer their services to the remaining states of the nation and spread this new and transformative idea. It is believed, that through this practice, the remaining German states will eventually push further and finally accept the changes that Schleswig-Holstein and the European Union are trying to accomplish.
