As from July 2022: Unibet stops operations in Germany

The Scandinavian Gambling Group Kindred Group plc will in the coming days pull out its flagship brand Unibet from the German market. Since some time, no new players could register on the platform anymore. But what are the reasons, that Unibet will stop operations in Germany?

Since many years Unibet belongs to the most successful betting providers in the industry in Germany. The Swedish Gambling group, Kindred Group plc is behind the gambling group Unibet. According to recent information Unibet will stop all operations in Germany as from the 1^st. of July 2022. The players registered with the Bookie are now asking what will happen to their credit and which alternative sports betting providers are currently available.

Unibet complains of unattractive competition conditions

It was definitely not an easy decision for the company to dissolve itself from the German online gambling market. However, it is also no secret that the restrictions and conditions have become much stricter since the new State Gambling Act (GlüStV) came into force and thus even an industry pioneer as Unibet finds it difficult to remain competitive. At the end of the day there are many providers who do not stick to the player protection regulations and therefore a significant percentage of the players are migrating to the “black market”.

Among other things, Unibet pointed out in its statement that ... 

“For a market to be competitive the process to apply for a licence, the licence conditions and the regulatory environment must be transparent, sustainable and financially viable.”

Apparently, the German online gambling market seems to be very far from achieving this. The company has therefore taken this decision.

German Unibet customers still have plenty of time available for their credit to be paid out

The company has recently announced that it is offering active players the possibility of receiving their credit back by the first quarter of 2022. Thus no one is under time pressure and one can take the necessary steps to do this calmy. Since several weeks the bookie has not been accepting new registrations from players from Germany. No more sports bets may be placed as from the 1^st. of July 2022 and no other activities may be carried out.

Since the company will be retreating from the German market, all current licence applications will be cancelled. Kindred was previously involved in the licensing process in Germany for a period of about two years.

North American side of business to be expanded

In the future Kindred wants to focus on expanding its North American side of the business. Apparently there seems to be more potential there. Besides this, in the coming months and years the company will expand its own sports betting brand Kindred Sportsbook and establish it on the market. Although the company will be retreating from the German online gambling market, the management is optimistic that with the potential growth in North America, there will be no negative effects on its finances. Besides this, a few days ago, Kindred has announced, that the company has received a gambling licence in the Netherlands.

Conclusion

Unibet Germany will stop operations on the 1^st. of July 2022. This means that German players may not place any sports bets or play in the casino of this operator. It is expected that in the near future further online gambling providers will be turning their back on the German online gambling market. The current conditions and limitations imposed by the GlüStV are making the operations significantly unattractive, both for the player, and even more for the provider. However, Kindred has pointed out, that this retreat from the German market is only a temporary decision. It is therefore possible that German gambling enthusiasts will be reunited with the brand Unibet once again.

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