Five more licenses to operate online sports betting in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein were issued on Tuesday, with recipients Ladbrokes and 888 among the new additions.
The Home Office will continue processing applications, with now over 40 operators under consideration, including 22 for “online casino games” including poker, according to yesterday’s statement.
“Applications will continue to be handled promptly, the decisions are of course under current law,” Minister of the Interior, Andreas Breitner, is quoted as saying, adding that gaming companies have the legal right to receive licenses if they meet the requirements.
Although the new coalition government is committed to repealing the new online gaming law, the latest licenses were expected. It acknowledges that until such a repeal—far from a foregone conclusion—applications must be processed and new licenses issued in timely fashion. And online poker applications are also “no longer excluded,” according to a statement by CDU politician Hans-Jörn Arp earlier this month.
However, the latest batch were all sports-betting licenses, bringing the total number of licenses issued to date to 12. Along with 888 and Ladbrokes, Cashpoint Malta Ltd and Admiral Sportwetten (recipient of two licenses) join the likes of Betfair, JAXX, Bet365 and bwin.party. All licenses are good for six years,
