Dr Wulf Hambach, partner with German gaming law specialist Hambach & Hambach, told the World GES conference in Barcelona this morning that an operator holding a horse-race betting licence from Schleswig-Holstein may already be able to access the wider German market without acting unlawfully.
“Such a licence is a very valuable indeed,” said Hambach. “From a criminal law perspective, it is a German administrative licence and it is legal opinion that a Schleswig-Holstein licence is sufficient to advertise services across Germany.
“Of course, they cannot yet ‘officially’ use the licence federally but legally it is hard to challenge Schleswig-Holstein licence holders doing so,” he added.
As politicians in Germany, both at state and federal level, continue to debate the licensing of remote gambling, Hambach’s comments highlight the prospect of Schleswig-Holstein licence holders advertising their services in the other 15 Länder and proceeding irrespective of any political machinations.
