Bayern Munich Executive Criticises Online Betting Restrictions of German Gambling Treaty

Jörg Wacker, the board member of FC Bayern Munich, has criticised the online betting restrictions of the nation’s “Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling” set to be introduced in 2021.

Despite Lander (state) consensus being reached on eliminating restrictions on online casino products, Germany’s Bundesrat (Federal Council) maintains controversial requirements attached to sports betting, restricting monthly player deposits to €1000 and yet to be determined in-play wagering bet types.

Wacker advises Lander (state) executives to revise their agreed federal mandate on sports betting as “the regulation does not fit market realities.”

“The term illegal is completely unsuitable for the majority of German operators, who hold EU licenses and are sanctioned by Schleswig-Holstein. The legal situation has not been clarified for 15-years, but that does not mean that operators are illegal. German bookmakers paid €500 million in tax revenues last year, meaning that there is a legal basis in which they operate,” Wacker said.

Wacker would retort Bundesrat justifications for the Treaty’s strict in-play wagering and monthly €1000 deposit restrictions, as a means of better controlling sports integrity and gambling addiction.

“Is it really like that? If products like in-play betting and poker are allowed does Germany suddenly become a land of gambling addicts… Sodom and Gomorrah! These products have been offered in Germany without restrictions for over a decade now and that outcome has simply not happened. The same applies to game manipulation. A €1000 deposit limit and a ban on live betting carry the greater risk of consumers migrating to the black market, where they will wager higher amounts. The black market is easy to find these days, so we are better off keeping players legal,” he said.