23 November 2012

Licensing procedure in Germany: A never-ending story

By Attorney-at-law Martin Arendts, M.B.L.-HSG

Under the new Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2012, 20 sports betting licenses will be awarded. When this might eventually happen, remains still open. The deadline for the first step has been prolonged once. The deadline for the second step has now been prolonged for the second time (and the end is not near). Applicants which survived the first step are now required to send in their concepts and other documents until 21 January 2013. If more than 20 applicants fulfill the (confidential) minimum requirements, the 20 best will be chosen by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and for Sports. The information memorandum (which explains the procedure) and the selection criteria (a maximum of 5000 points can be awarded) have not been published yet (as required under EU law). So, the whole procedure might be declared null and void.