bwin.party (Pwin) has insisted that losing their latest German court case will have “no bearing on the bigger picture” in the country. It came after the German Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig upheld the legality of the country’s ban on internet sports betting by giving Bavarian authorities a victory over Pwin. Local lawyers joined Pwin in arguing that political events had overtaken the ruling, a spokesperson for Pwin adding, “There is no impact on our customers as we continue to operate under our Bwin.com website as covered by our European licence.”
GamblingCompliance also reported that Bwin’s former sleeping partner, Steffen Pfennigwerth, will be launching a challenge against the decision and said, “This judgment is completely irrelevant in practical terms.
“The future of German regulations for games of chance will not be decided in the court. It will be determined at a political level with the ongoing deliberations of the German regions about the Interstate Treaty.”
The same court also ruled Pwin’s East German betting license was only valid for land-based betting in Saxony and not on a nationwide basis.
“The ban is binding even for private operators with ex-East Germany licenses, which means the holders of such licences are not allowed to organise and offer [internet] betting in Bayern,” a statement from the court said yesterday.
German states were expected to meet up next Thursday (June 9) to sign the new Intrastate Treaty. Support for this is reportedly wavering with Hesse and Saxony both supporting the rival plan put forward by Schleswig-Holstein, one that is widely supported by many European gaming firms, Pwin included.
