The German Betting Market in Transition

Article by Martin Oelbermann

The time has finally come – after some delay, the final and decisive round in the fight for the German betting market will start on November 8 in Karlsruhe. The case before the Federal Constitutional Court (BverfG) will mark the final turning point in what has been an exciting year for the German betting industry.

Betting in the press

Never before in Germany has betting been discussed and written about as much as this year: Spiegel, Capital, Welt, … all these major German news makers made the betting market one of their top subjects. Thus, Dr. Albers („head“ of the private betting operators) as well as Mr. Horak (managing director of state offer Oddset) were practically a staple in the media and even managed an appearance on popular talk shows.

There are many reasons for this broad and unprecedented interest in the subject: a referee by the name of Hoyzer and the associated betting/soccer scandal not only drew attention to the subject of betting but – and this was perhaps surprising for many – he made the topic very popular. His case was followed by a long discussion of the German state’s betting monopoly in the media. Moreover, the private betting companies also kept a steady presence in the public eye. For example, at practically every soccer game one „bumps“ into the BetandWin logo, and the rise in share prices of private offers such as Fluxx evoke memories of former stock market booms. And when German TV makers announced that they would enter the betting market, there was no holding back anymore and the topic was discussed hotly in numerous lead editorials.

The time has come for a detailed column on the German betting market

There is much talk about the betting industry but only little knowledge. Thus, it is high time for a detailed analysis of this industry sector that replaces speculation with facts and knowledge. Accordingly, ISA-CASINOS and the consulting firm MECN have decided to mark the final and decisive phase of the fight for the German betting market by jointly launching a column that will examine relevant aspects of this industry sector in more detail and appear every week.

The column will largely be based on MECN‘s latest study „The German betting market in transition.“ Here you can download the brochure about the study; alternatively, visit www.wettmarkt.mecn.net for more information.