Germany Approves Tipwin, Mybet, Now Has Three iGaming Operators

Posted on: June 24, 2022, 08:25h. 

Last updated on: June 24, 2022, 10:15h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

In Germany, the licensing of online gambling is progressing very slowly. In a year, there have been only three approvals, with Tipwin and Mybet now arriving to join Mernov.

Tipwin
Sports betting and iGaming operator Tipwin’s booth at a gaming expo. The company is the second to receive a license to offer online slot machines in Germany. (Image: Tipwin)

Germany has a difficult online gambling regime to navigate. The Fourth Interstate Treaty should have made things easier. But operators are learning this isn’t the case.

The myriad of regulations each state establishes, some of which create a state-controlled monopoly, have forced operators like The Kindred Group to give up. Finally, after an extended lull, operators are beginning to see progress.

Tipwin Arrives in Germany

Tipwin has received a license for virtual slot games, the only option currently available. The Halle State Administration Office, which is responsible for the permits, issued the license this week.

In the agency’s updated gaming operator whitelist from June 21, Tipwin is an approved provider of online casino games. It follows Mernov in becoming only the second company in Germany with such a license. Tipwin is also the first sports betting company to receive a gaming license in the country.

The arrival of the license was met with a degree of trepidation on the part of Tipwin. However, it said in a statement that it is going to “carefully examine all the ancillary provisions” of the license agreement.

It will then decide whether some of those provisions stand up to judicial review. Tipwin added that it will engage in “constructive exchange with the competent authority” in order to implement the resulting requirements legally and practically.

The Malta-registered provider has been present in the German market since 2014. The company also received approval to host sports betting in Germany on October 9, 2020. This past February, it announced a new sponsorship deal with the German Basketball Federation.

The head of Tipwin’s legal department, Dr. Damir Böhm, added in the statement that Germany and licensed operators need to examine the market for unlicensed providers more closely. They should collectively work to eradicate those platforms in order to improve the legal market.

Mernov has the appropriate licenses to offer virtual slots on its gambling portals JackpotPiraten.de and BingBong.de. Both are now in operation and accepting customers.

Mybet Receives Third German License

Yesterday, the Halle State Administration Office updated the whitelist again. As a result, Austrian sports betting provider Ruleo Alpenland AG, which operates Mybet, is now the third licensed provider of virtual slots. The company has long had a sports betting license for its Germany-oriented online sports betting website mybet.de.

So far, however, Ruleo has not yet issued an official press release regarding its online casino plans. In addition, it has not included any details about offering online slots on its sports betting website. As such, it isn’t clear when the company will actually launch its online gaming operations.

It remains to be seen whether the licensing process will now accelerate. Germany set a record for its nascent online gaming segment by issuing back-to-back licenses, so there’s hope that more operators will find a way into the market.