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?
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?
FC Barcelona has extended its partnership with the gambling company 1xBet by several years. The gambling provider, which has a licence from Curacao, has been a sponsoring partner of the record Spanish cup winners since 2019. But how much money is 1xBet paying for the multi-year sponsorship agreement and what do critics have to say about the deal?
The fight against illegal gambling activities is a rather costly affair. The final report by the State Office of Criminal Investigation in North Rhine-Westphalia, which is available to the Rheinische Post, reveals that the authorities lack "equipment and technical expertise" in this matter. According to the report, unauthorised gaming machines cost the state millions every year. The record for a single illegally installed machine is a turnover of 423,000 euros per year. Well-organised clans are often the string-pullers.
It is well known that financially strong partners are in great demand in football. Even the DFB Cup is apparently no exception. The German Football Association recently announced a new partner - and it actually comes from the sports betting industry: Tipico will support the association and the tournament in both the men's and women's competitions until 2026 and will be allowed to be present at the matches and other related events. Not everyone likes that.
Even today, hardly any Bundesliga club can manage without a sponsor from the gambling sector. According to Statista, over 70% of clubs in the 1st division alone have a betting provider as a sponsor. Other clubs have gambling shops or lotteries on their list of sponsors. 1. FC Kaiserslautern and VfB Stuttgart now even have gambling providers as their main sponsors. But why are such sponsors so active in football?
The German Gambling Research Foundation was only established in March 2024 and recently issued a press statement outlining its objectives. Broadly speaking, the aim is to deepen understanding of gambling behaviour, promote consumer protection and, last but not least, support preventive measures against gambling addiction. The central means for this are prizes that are awarded for research that is particularly useful in terms of the objectives.
The small town of Lübbecke in North Rhine-Westphalia can look forward to a windfall from an entrepreneur worth millions. To be more precise, Paul Gauselmann and the Paul and Karin Gauselmann Foundation have signed a donation agreement totalling five million euros in favour of the town of Lübbecke. But what prompted the German entrepreneur and CEO of the Merkur Group to make such a generous gesture?
A few days ago, 1. FC Kaiserslautern introduced its new main sponsor, the gambling provider Novoline. The licensed online casino, which is operated by BluBet Operations Limited, is part of the renowned gaming company Löwen Entertainment, based in nearby Bingen am Rhein. But how much money will the second division club receive from its new main sponsor and how long will the contract run for?
The German Gambling Congress 2024 will take place in Berlin at the end of this month. The main topics include “Lootboxes” and “When illegality becomes normality”. The idea of the congress is for academics, politicians, regulators and gambling providers to enter into a joint dialog.
The Chinese shopping platform Temu often offers extreme bargains from every conceivable product category - from fashion to electronics and leisure items to home furnishings. However, the offers are repeatedly criticised for being too cheap, too unsafe and often misleading. Now advertising is also increasingly coming under scrutiny, with gambling-like elements designed to provide manipulative incentives to buy.
A total of over 270,000 player bans are currently active in the nationwide player ban file OASIS. With the exception of around 10,000 players, all players have blocked themselves. This is according to an answer from the Hessian Ministry of the Interior to a parliamentary question from the FDP parliamentary group in the state parliament.
ZEAL Network SE, which until recently was still known as Tipp24 SE, published its business figures for the first quarter at the beginning of the month. According to the figures, the Hamburg-based e-commerce group was able to increase its turnover by around a third within a year. But what are the reasons for the extremely positive development of the company's turnover?
The betting provider Neo.bet is quite active when it comes to sponsorship and promotion. Most of the promotions clearly relate to the game of football. However, the bookmaker is now expanding its portfolio to include a sport that has experienced a strong boom in recent years. As the main sponsor of the PDC European Darts Tour, the company promises to create added value for spectators and fans. What does that mean?
The police crime statistics (PKS) for the past year were published just under a fortnight ago. According to these statistics, the overall crime rate continued to rise in 2023. A total of almost six million offences were recorded, which represents an increase of 5.5% compared to the previous year. Among other things, the development of recorded cases in the area of unauthorised gambling is striking.
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