Poker is a business worth millions - but it's not just at the tables of the big tournaments that huge sums are at stake - there is also a lot of money behind the scenes. The latter has just been impressively demonstrated once again when two of the biggest companies in the industry announced a mega-deal: The ‘World Series of Poker’ brand went from owner Caesars Entertainment to NSUS Group Inc, which is primarily known for its online poker platform GGPoker, for the more than handsome sum of USD 500 million. What exactly does this mean?
Paul Gauselmann will be celebrating his 90th birthday on 26 August this year: to mark the occasion, Germany's oldest active gambling entrepreneur is giving a number of interviews, drawing attention to his company with charity campaigns and generally doesn't appear to be getting tired of old age. In an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper, the Westphalian even chatted about his own gambling habits and said that gambling is not addictive.
TV and print media regularly report on returns from large online retailers that companies can no longer find a use for and are simply destroyed as a result. Mystery pack machines are now another solution to the problem, and one that seems so innovative and exciting that the machines are real customer magnets. The returned goods are dispensed at random for a certain ‘stake amount’.
Advertising and sponsorship by gambling companies is a regular source of debate, and not just in Germany. In fact, there are a particularly large number of such co-operations in England, which are increasingly criticised by addiction experts, politicians and society. For this reason, a general code of conduct on gambling sponsorship was recently adopted on the island.
Due to the increased integration of its main sponsor, the sports betting and casino platform Stake.com, the Swiss racing team Sauber has been travelling the world's circuits with the name ‘Stake F1’ since the start of the 2024 season. There was already controversy in some countries during the last racing season due to the gambling nature of the partner, meaning that the logos had to be removed for some competitions. Sauber has also faced some headwind in the run-up to this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
The end of the European Football Championship was barely more than a month ago. The tournament and its aftermath seem to have flown by in a frenzy. Football fans and players have long since immersed their minds in the new seasons at club level. Despite Germany's elimination in the quarter-finals against Spain, the European Championship is generally regarded as a success - both for the national team and the country. In addition to the Spaniards, who ultimately won the title, the companies involved in the event also benefited: Above all, it was extremely lucrative for the sports betting providers of this world. As a study reveals, they realised over 30 billion euros!
Just two days before the start of the second Bundesliga, on 2 August, SSV Ulm 1846 announced a new supporter who - as with so many football clubs - comes from the gambling sector: The slot machine provider Jokerstar will be lending the Spatzen a helping hand in the 2024 / 25 season and will receive some prominent advertising opportunities in return. What does this mean and will Jokerstar customers get anything out of it? Here are all the details!
The football circus in Germany is slowly but surely starting up again. Last weekend, Borussia Dortmund also got things underway - BVB beat FC Phönix Lübeck 4:1 in the DFB Cup. A new sponsor joined the Borussia team: StarGames is supporting the Dortmund team as a ‘Premium Partner’. The gamblers should not go away empty-handed. What does that mean?
Many online casinos in Austria do not have the required official licence and are therefore illegal. In the past, more and more Austrian gamblers have therefore tried to reclaim casino losses they have suffered. Now the online casinos are striking back and claiming the winnings previously paid out to players. Should players now fear having to pay back the winnings they have made in the past?
The 2024 Summer Olympics are over after just under three weeks. A total of over 300 competitions took place, in which the 206 participating countries competed for medals. In the end, however, it was not only the athletes who were delighted with their medals, but also the betting providers who enjoyed impressive turnover during the Olympic Games.
Bet3000 is currently making headlines: With the removal of the sports betting provider from the whitelist, there was initially speculation as to how this could have happened. Official statements have since been issued and the company's stationary betting shops are allowed to continue their business activities following a lawsuit. Users are still shown a maintenance page online. The incidents have now led to TSV 1860 Munich literally cancelling Bet3000 as an ‘exclusive partner’.
Throughout Europe, sports betting is considered gambling. Really all over Europe? No, Austria is actually taking a special path: similar to the Gallic village around Asterix, which did not want to be conquered by the Romans, the Alpine republic insists on categorising sports betting as a ‘game of skill’ despite much criticism. This is accompanied by a few special features.
The OASIS gambling ban is a central element in the endeavour to promote responsible gambling in Germany. The ‘online player status enquiry’ checks in real time before the game starts whether the player in question is currently banned or not. The respective game can only be started once the online enquiry has been successfully completed. But how well does the nationwide ban file work in practice?
A few days ago, the German e-commerce group ZEAL Network SE once again reported extremely pleasing consolidated sales. The online provider of lottery products increased its turnover by an impressive 40% in the first half of 2024 alone. But why is ZEAL currently enjoying such good business figures?
After the sports betting provider Bet3000 disappeared from the German whitelist on 25 July 2024, there was initially a great deal of guesswork and many irritated faces. In the meantime, more and more information is coming to light in this case. It is now clear that the Joint Gaming Authority (GGL) has withdrawn the provider's sports betting licence. But what is the background to this and how is Bet3000 dealing with it?
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