Hesse launches sports betting licensing process
Darmstadt Regional Council expects to issue first temporary licences in Q1 2020
Authorities in the German state of Hesse will now accept applications for temporary sports betting licences following the passing into law of the third amended Interstate Treaty on gambling.
There is no window for temporary licence applications to be submitted and no set timescale in which any licences will be granted, however the Darmstadt Regional Council has said it aims to issue the first licences in Q1 2020.
In December, the Council admitted it had not received any indications of interest from sports betting operators, despite the impending launch.
Hesse holds responsibility for administering the licensing of operators.
At present, the number of personnel employed within the Council responsible for gambling is being expanded to facilitate the processing of applications. The Council will be the largest German gambling regulator by the end of 2020.
The first licensing standards for sports betting operators were revealed in July and included the requirement for any interested parties to declare in writing that they and their affiliates will not operate online casino sites, something which is currently illegal in the country.
Last month, sports betting operator bet365 confirmed it would turn off access to its online casino products to German players on 30 December as part of preparations to apply for a temporary German licence.
Criterion for applications also include a requirement to appoint an authorised representative and operate a registered office in Germany. Under the new treaty, the previous cap of 20 available sports betting licences first granted during the so-called “experimental phase” is removed.
All 35 current sports betting licensees licensed under the 2012 interstate treaty are required to resubmit application documentation to the authority for the new licensing process.
The cost of a temporary sports betting licence is based on the forecasted sales of the sports betting operator during the period 2020-2021 and is therefore not uniform among operators. Administrative costs incurred by the Council in processing the application will also be included within the fee.
However, all licences issued will only be valid until 2021, at which time a new Interstate Treaty on gambling is expected to be introduced.