Ladbrokes trouble with Germany

I received this email from Ladbrokes today…

Seems like the German market is getting more and more difficult…

Dear Kevin,
Your User ID is: XXX

Ladbrokes regret to inform you that as a result of legal action taken against us by Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH u. Co. oHG, we will no longer be able to accept bets or wagers from German residents. This decision affects every aspect of our site – and every location in Germany – and therefore, from Wednesday 26th November 2003, action will be taken by us to prevent German residents – regardless of their nationality – from placing bets either on the Ladbrokes’ sportsbook (http://www.ladbrokes.com), LadbrokesCasino (http://www.ladbrokescasino.com) and LadbrokesPoker (http://www.ladbrokespoker.com). We will not maintain a German Language website for customers outside Germany as it is not economically viable.

Ladbrokes believe that being forced to refuse bets from residents of a member state of the European Union is a clear breach of European law and we will continue our efforts to have this reversed. In the meantime, we can only apologise for any inconvenience this decision causes you.

We wish to thank you for your custom over the last 18 months and the overwhelming support and understanding we have received for our struggle to overcome the legal issues in Germany.

Below we have compiled a list of questions and answers detailing how the process will operate and explaining any issues that you may have.

Questions & Answers

Q What will happen to the German language website?
A We will close the betting element of the website as well as Casino and Poker on Wednesday 26th November 2003. Therefore you will not be able to place any more bets or play Casino and Poker from within Germany.

Q What will happen to any existing funds in my Ladbrokes account?
A We will continue to provide customer access to Your Account section in the German language and allow users to withdraw any funds. We intend to maintain this access for the coming months until all funds have been withdrawn.

Q What will happen to any Casino and Poker chips that I have in my account?
A You will still have access to these but will no longer be able to use them to bet. You will need to cash-in these chips and then withdraw the funds from your account.

Q What will happen to my outstanding bets that will not be settled until next year?
A We will honour these bets and you may withdraw any winnings after these bets have been settled.

Q I am not a resident in Germany but I use the German language website. Can I still place bets?
A Yes, the restrictions only apply to residents in Germany. However, we will no longer maintain a website in the German language, so any transactions need to be conducted via one of our other language sites. To change your language default please contact our customer services department who will change this for you. ([email protected]).

Q Can I still place bets on the telephone if I reside in Germany?
A No. The ruling extends to telephone betting.

Q Who can tell me more about this issue?
A For any other queries please contact: [email protected]

If you have any problems or questions please contact us on [email protected] or call 0800 7 31 41 71 or +44 208 429 7971.