SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Bet3000 has reinitiated its retail business having been granted provisional protections against its licence suspension by Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), The Federal Gambling Authority of Germany.
On 25 July, the licence of Bet3000 was temporarily removed from the GGL’s whitelist of sportsbook operators for online and retail betting services of the Fourth Interstate Gambling Market (GlüNeuRStv).
The GGL stated that its enforcement was due to Bet3000 failing to meet “non-compliance with technical requirements” as its business had failed to connect its customer database with the GlüNeuRStv mandatory IT supervisory system LUGAS.
IBIA Entertainment, the operating firm of Bet3000, filed an immediate appeal with the Administrative Court of Halle, claiming that its technical failures were due to a third party being unable to integrate with LUGAS, that was ‘experiencing IT disruptions’.
In response to the appeal, the Magdeburg Higher Administrative Court granted an interim order allowing Bet3000 to “resume its stationary operations, reinstating the company on the whitelist for retail services. The order provides provisional legal protection until a final decision is made by the Halle Administrative Court.
The reinstatement is seen as a significant interim success by IBA Entertainment, though the situation remains unresolved for Bet3000’s online operations.
The company awaits further judicial review, hoping for a complete reinstatement of its betting services, both online and offline. Until a final ruling is made, Bet3000 will be allowed to continue to operate its 300 retail betting franchises across Germany, while its online platform remains offline.
The GGL has drawn criticism for its immediate suspension of Bet3000 online and retail licence on technical compliance matters related to the GlüNeuRStv regime. The Authority must explain why it ordered its stringent licence suspension, putting 1,500 jobs at risk, including those at Bet3000’s betting agencies and associated businesses.
