Schleswig-Holstein Issues iGaming Licenses To 4 More Operators

There are now seven legal iGaming operators in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein after four more firms secured a license this week. bet365, bwin.party, bet-at-home and Tipico are the latest companies allowed to offer sports-betting in the jurisdiction. Licenses for poker and casino games are expected to be awarded eventually.
The licenses are effective immediately and are valid for six years. Schleswig-Holstein will tax 20% of gross revenues generated under the license.
The four new licensed firms join Betfair, myBet, and German lottery operator Die NordwestLotto as legal operators in the German state home to 2.9 million residents. The stock price of bwin.party is down 3% since word they will receive a Schleswig-Holstein license.
bwin.party Co-CEO Norbert Teufelberger said in a statement, “Schleswig-Holstein’s regulatory regime represents an important step in building a vibrant and competitive German online gaming market. This EU-compliant regime is a fundamentally important step to protect consumers and keep out black market operators in Germany.”
News of receiving a license comes the same week that bwin.party settled a €33 million tax bill with the government of Spain in hopes of acquiring a license to service residents in that newly-regulated nation.
According to EGR Magazine, the Schleswig-Holstein licenses were distributed by the interior ministry based on the recommendation of an advisory board that includes representatives from myBet and Die NordwestLotto. The members of the board with ties to these companies include Karin Seidel and Mathias Dahms.
Klaus Schlie, interior minister for Schleswig-Holstein, said licenses would be awarded for poker and casino games in the coming weeks. There are 24 operators awaiting response to their application for a sports-betting license while another 17 have outstanding applications for poker and casino games.