A few days ago, VfB Stuttgart presented another new sponsor from the gambling sector. This is the crypto casino Lucky Block, which does not have a valid gambling licence in Germany. However, the deal is to be limited to the Asian market, meaning that the lack of a licence should not be overly relevant. Nevertheless, the sports club from Baden-Württemberg has been criticised.
Christian_1994
Curacao is a country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean, which is over 8,400 kilometres away from Berlin. The 444 square kilometre island has been internationally renowned in the online gambling industry for many years, as many online casinos have a licence from Curacao. But what is life like on the island of online casinos?
Christian_1994
The former Green Party parliamentary group leader in the Emsland district council is currently on trial at the Lingen district court for commercial breach of trust. The local politician is accused of transferring a total of 33,000 euros from the trust account of the Green Party district association to her private account, among other things. She then gambled the money away in an online casino.
Christian_1994
The rumour mill at the well-known German gambling provider Bet3000 has been churning for a few days now. Since the last update on 25 July 2024, IBA Entertainment Limited, the company behind Bet3000, is no longer on the official whitelist. So has Bet3000 now voluntarily withdrawn from the German sports betting market or has the authority revoked the provider's licence?
Christian_1994
Almost all players are familiar with the situation: online casinos or digital sports betting providers based abroad also make their programmes available in Germany via international licences, and they are also heavily involved in advertising. This is a seemingly perpetual thorn in the side of the GGL in particular. However, the authority has now achieved a success, at least in terms of gambling advertising, which could point the way forward, but is difficult to transfer to the entire gambling landscape. Here is the full story and possible consequences.
Chris_W
19 July 2024 was an impressive reminder of how dependent we all are on the global IT infrastructure. Due to a blackout that apparently resulted from an update, numerous airlines, hospitals and media outlets were no longer able to access some of their most important systems. Large gambling platforms from Entain, one of the leading providers of sports betting and online casinos in Europe, were also affected. What happened and what are the consequences of such problems?
Chris_W
The operator of the Monte-Carlo casino and luxury cruise operator Crystal are planning to open a Casino de Monte-Carlo on the high seas. Until now, the company behind the Monte Carlo casino, Monte-Carlo Societé des Bains de Mer (SBM), has operated almost exclusively in the Principality of Monaco. But what exactly can water-loving gambling fans look forward to in the future?
Christian_1994
The state gambling monopoly is now set to disappear from the next EU member state. Just a fortnight ago, the Finnish government announced that the gambling monopoly is to expire at the end of 2026. But what goals are politicians in Finland pursuing with this and are they perhaps even taking Germany as a role model?
Christian_1994
On 1 July 2024, the state of Baden-Württemberg took over the chairmanship of the Administrative Board of the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL). In order to ensure a balanced distribution of responsibility, each federal state takes over the leadership once for a period of one year. But is the annual change in leadership really necessary and sensible? And what tasks does the Administrative Board actually fulfil?
Christian_1994
Gambling in Austria, which is actually so strictly regulated, is currently being shaken by reports of possible involvement of state-owned companies in illegal online casinos. The gaming manufacturer Rabcat and its parent company, Österreichische Lotterien GmbH, are accused of having played a double game for years. On the one hand, it was explained how harmful unregulated providers are, but on the other hand, it was allegedly making a lot of money from them.
Chris_W
The Interstate Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV) is the central legal instrument for regulating gambling in Germany. However, the legislation is regularly criticised by players, authorities, politicians, lawyers and industry associations. The Greens also recently addressed the issue at their annual conference at the end of June 2024. In a position paper, the party calls for some significant changes to advertising, limits, OASIS, a designated blacklist and more.
Chris_W
Austrians are quite active in claiming gambling losses from online casinos that are not licensed in the country. Together with Germany, the majority of such judgements are handed down in Austria compared to the rest of Europe. However, enforcement is made much more difficult by the Maltese gambling protection shield. This is also the reason why the Supreme Court has now given the green light for a hitherto unique measure: A claimant can seize Mr Green's AT domains and, if necessary, sell them in order to recover their stakes.
Chris_W
A new customer at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has won a million-dollar jackpot on his first visit. The casino resort announced this in a post on X a few weeks ago. But on which slot machine and at what stake did the player's luck strike?
Christian_1994
The popular online slots from Swintt are now available in the online casinos JackpotPiraten and BingBong. Swintt is a comparatively new star in the iGaming industry. The company was only founded in 2019. But what attractive slot machines does the provider offer?
Christian_1994
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) can bring many advantages, and not just in everyday life. However, the disadvantages of this branch of computer science are often neglected. For example, the online gambling industry is also concerned with protecting itself and other players from AI-supported fraud. But to what extent are online casinos at risk in this respect?
Christian_1994