Munich, 20 Mar. 2008: In a case represented by the law firm Hambach & Hambach, the Higher Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg (VGH) allowed an appeal against a dismissive judgement by the Administrative Court (VG) of Karlsruhe. Just as in the previous resolution dated 12 Feb. 2008, leave to appeal was also granted in these parallel proceedings in a resolution dated 3 Mar. 2008 (ref: 6 S 1408/07), due to substantial doubts as to whether politics regulating games of chance in Germany are implemented in a consistent way.

München, 20.3.2008: Der Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg (VGH) hat in einem durch die Kanzlei Hambach & Hambach geführten Verfahren die Berufung gegen ein abweisendes Urteil des Verwaltungsgerichts Karlsruhe zugelassen. Wie in dem bereits vorhergehenden Beschluss vom 12.2.2008 wurde auch in diesem parallelen Verfahren mit Beschluss vom 3.3.2008 (Aktenzeichen: 6 S 1408/07) die Berufung aufgrund erheblicher Zweifel an einer kohärenten Ausgestaltung der Glücksspielpolitik in Deutschland zugelassen.

Today, the I. Zivilsenat (first division for civil matters) at the Bundesgerichtshof (German Federal Court of Justice) dismissed in four cases action filed by state-run gambling providers (among others Westlotto) against private sports betting providers holding GDR and EU licences (among others bwin). In its press release, the BGH headlined: “Old cases of offering and operating sports bets do not constitute a violation of competition”. Initial press reports state that “the flood of law suits against providers of sports bets was thrown out on Thursday by the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH)”.

München 14.02.2008: Der unter anderem für Wettbewerbsrecht zuständige I. Zivilsenat des Bundesgerichtshofs hat heute in vier Fällen die Klagen von staatlichen Glücksspielanbietern (u.a. Westlotto) gegen private DDR- und EU-lizenzierte Sportwettenbetreiber (u.a. bwin) abgewiesen. In seiner Pressemitteilung titelt der BGH: „Anbieten und Veranstalten von Sportwetten in Altfällen nicht wettbewerbswidrig“. Erste Presseberichte sprechen davon, dass „Die Klagewelle gegen Anbieter von Sportwetten vom Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) am Donnerstag abgeschmettert worden ist.“

As already mentioned in our press release of 31 January 2008, the Administrative Court of Schleswig-Holstein (VG Schleswig-Holstein) decided to stay the main proceedings brought by Hambach & Hambach Law Firm, its subject matter being the validity of a European license for a sports betting offer in Schleswig-Holstein and to refer the relevant Community Law questions for a preliminary ruling by the ECJ. In the course of the oral hearing the Administrative Court of Schleswig Holstein already voiced its legal opinion that a sports betting monopoly can only be justified by the goal of fighting compulsive gaming...

Wie bereits in unserer Pressemitteilung vom 31.1.2008 berichtet, hat das VG Schleswig-Holstein in einem durch die Kanzlei Hambach & Hambach geführten Hauptsacheverfahren, das die Geltung einer europäischen Lizenz für das Sportwettenangebot in Schleswig-Holstein zum Gegenstand hatte, beschlossen, das Verfahren auszusetzen und entscheidungserhebliche Fragen zum Europarecht im Vorabentscheidungsverfahren durch den EuGH klären zu lassen. Das VG Schleswig-Holstein äußerte bereits in der mündlichen Verhandlung die Rechtsauffassung...

The Verwaltungsgericht (Administrative Court) of Schleswig – like the EU Commission – thinks that EU laws are being violated and has decided to refer questions relating to European law issues in the context of the new sports betting monopoly to the ECJ. The 30th day of the new year 2008 was, from the legal point of view, definitely anything but a good day for the advocates of the State Treaty on Gambling, which is only a few weeks old. This is because on Wednesday this week, the young Treaty was not only sharply attacked by the European Commission...

Der 30. Tag im neuen Jahr 2008 war aus rechtlicher Sicht sicherlich kein guter Tag für die Verfechter des einige Wochen jungen Glücksspiel Staatsvertrag. Denn: An diesem Mittwoch wurde das junge Vertragswerk nicht nur gleich auf europäischer Ebene durch die Europäische Kommission scharf attackiert, auch das VG Schleswig sieht - wie die EU-Kommission - EU-Recht verletzt und legt europarechtliche Fragen zum neuen Sportwettenmonopol dem EuGH vor.

The European Commission plans to decide within weeks whether to step up legal action against Germany over that country's recent move to ban online gambling, a spokesman for the commission in Brussels said Tuesday. The German law came into effect on Jan. 1, banning Web-based betting, with the exception of wagers on horseracing, and restricting other forms of gambling to state-run operators.

Online betting companies including BWIN Interactive Entertainment and Fluxx are gearing up to file a legal complaint against German state monopoly on lotteries and most forms of betting, law firm Hambach & Hambach head Wulf Hambach said. Hambach said that he represents about 20 of the world’s biggest betting companies, according to the local newspaper the Die Welt.

According to a leading German lawyer, skill games and entertainment portals could provide online operators looking to enter the German gaming market with viable opportunities. Wulf Hambach of law firm Hambach and Hambach believes that Germany may be close to opening up its gaming market due to pressure from the European Commission (EC). However, he stated that there remains non-regulated gambling sectors in Germany...

A panel of experts, organised in Cologne by the TÜV Rheinland and Hambach & Hambach Law Firm on 3 Dec. 2007, was able for the first time to unambiguously prove with scientific support that insurmountable technical obstacles stand in the way of the practical implementation of the projected German State Treaty on Gambling. Many past reports held that the State Treaty on Gambling violates constitutional and European law; for instance, EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy is at present preparing proceedings against Germany based on a violation of the regulations of the State Treaty against European law – even before the Treaty has come into effect.