Update: Schleswig-Holstein Sees Its First Sportsbetting Licenses Awarded

Three operators go legal in the northern German State This was an excellent week for three sportsbetting operators in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, as they have become the first ones to obtain new online sports betting licenses to operate in the State's newly opened online gambling market for a period of six years. The three sites in question are .de-domained myBet (JAXX), Betfair as well as NordWest Lotto (State Lottery). More licenses are to come soon, announced Interior Minister Klaus Schlie, adding that the following period will also see poker and other casino-style game licenses awarded to deserving firms. It has also been specified that the first licensed operators will be able to offer their services within the State and that they will pay gross profit tax of 20 percent. According to Mathias Dahms, chief executive officer, JAXX SE, "Of course we are very proud to hold one of the first Schleswig-Holstein sports betting licenses in our hands, the approval for mybet has already become a historical document, because it is for a future-oriented regulation of the gaming system. "The regulatory authority in Kiel has achieved a particularly complex and demanding process, which in some cases significantly exceed the requirements in other European countries. It was a tough job. "Schleswig-Holstein is seen as the only State to formulate a European and constitutional compliant law, which takes into account the interests of the players, the provider and the country alike. The treaty draft of the other 15 states is obviously a bad compromise, which has become entangled in a federal scrub. Even the opposition in the State Parliament will now find that their own gambling law is good for the country and its finances." Another comment arrived from Betfair's Chief Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officer, Martin Cruddace, who said: “We are delighted to have been awarded one of the first three licences to operate in Schleswig Holstein. We look forward to making a significant and sustainable contribution to the newly formed market there, offering consumers innovative products in a safe and responsible betting environment. “Schleswig Holstein's government should be applauded for iits efforts to implement a regulatory regime that will provide security for consumers, transparency for regulators and the freedom to compete for EU operators.”