Germany Continues Licensing Casinos and Bookmakers Despite Interdiction

Gambling establishments and Internet operators in Germany have encountered problems due to the decision of the local regulator to suspend licensing. However, in some regions, documents are still being processed. In particular, the regional council of Darmstadt said that the processing of applications for licensing will continue, despite judicial prohibitions. Moreover, the authorities in the region have already filed documents to appeal the decision.

The first lawsuit against the suspension of licensing was filed by the Austrian bookmaker Vierklee, which said that the new version of the State agreement governing the issuance of licenses puts holders of existing licenses in a better position. Later, it was joined by the municipality of Darmstadt, which announced that it had applied to the Kassel Administrative Court in order to remove the restrictions.

The Darmstadt authorities also said that while the lawsuit is pending, the regional government will continue to issue licenses for online casinos and bookmakers. Representatives of the municipality noted that they had received more than 50 applications only in February 2020.

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