Crunch time for Schleswig Holstein gambling

The German provincial government of Schleswig Holstein has released a date for a hearing on the repeal of a gambling law that was introduced by its more liberal predecessor, approved by the European Commission and which has seen the online sports betting and casino licensing of a slew of major foreign companies.

On January 23-25 SH legislators will decide whether to repeal the act and take the province back into the restrictive German Interstate Treaty on Gambling, joining the other German states in focusing on sports betting and excluding internet casino and poker action.

The legal implications for the province could be serious and confusing with two different and apparently conflicting regulatory systems effectively in place.

Despite earlier media reports that the European Commission had given the province a green light to return to the Treaty, several SH politicians have warned that the SSW-SPD-Green coalition government currently in power in SH could face infringement proceedings by the Commission, and the possibility of civil litigation from companies to which it has already issued licenses if it presses ahead with its plans.

If SH lawmakers give their approval in the January 23-25 session, new regulations could be enacted as early as March this year