Bet365 shutting off German casino

Earlier this week Bet365 informed its affiliates to refrain from online casino promotions in the German market. The move was part of a broader effort by the massive UK gambling operator to temporarily pull back from the German facing market until the company receives a new license that will allow it operate in Germany.
In the email, Bet365 officials advised their affiliates to take down “any promotion of any of Bet365’s non-sports products in German” and, “Can you please arrange for any promotion of any of bet365’s non-sports products in German to be removed?”
Bet365’s move to slip away from Germany is not meant to be permanent but is more of an effort to make certain that the company remains compliant with rapidly changing local regulations. Early in 2019, Germany’s 16 states approved a new set of regulations that would require operators to apply for a one-year sports betting license that is effective January 1, 2020. Officials have said that they plan to have a more long-term plan before the end of 2020.
Under the terms of the new sports betting licenses, operators are required to refrain from offering in-play wagering of any kind. It also requires sports betting operators to step away from poker and casino operations, at least temporarily. It’s believed likely, though hasn’t been said officially, that these restrictions may be eased at some point in the future when the German states finalize a gambling treaty that’s effective in all 16 states.
Bet365’s ban on German operations, it should be noted, does not include Austrian-facing promotions.