The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has voted in favour of joining the state treaty on online gaming that will permit sports betting but not online poker.
With the new government in Schleswig-Holstein looking to overturn the earlier decision to reject the state treaty, the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia means Germany is likely to soon have a single, unified market for online gaming.
Despite the move to join the national treaty, the coalition in Schleswig-Holstein is expected to honour the sports betting licences awarded by the previous administration, introduced when it announced its own breakaway state legislation.
The German State Gaming Treaty remains controversial with some arguing it breaks EU law, a number of operators lodging complaints and the German Monopolies Commission expressing concerns.
