SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
German sportsbook Interwetten has ceased all offerings of betting on local amateur football matches.
The withdrawal affects all of the company’s international platforms, with the goal of preventing German-based customers from registering for its international platform, and international customers being onboarded to its German domain.
Interwetten was founded in Germany but is currently located in Malta. It is operating under a Malta Gaming Authority licence.
In Germany, the firm is a partner of the German Football Association (DFB), which is responsible for the regulation of amateur and professional football.
Dr. Holger Blask, CEO of the DFB, commented: “We very much welcome this decision by Interwetten. This shows the partner’s sense of responsibility.
“We are both convinced that a controlled sports betting market with licensed sports betting providers ensures proper game play and thus the integrity of sporting competition, while also taking player protection into account in the best possible way.”
Interwetten’s decision comes a month after a match-fixing scandal rocked the German amateur football space. Reports of result manipulation across 17 matches were published by the local media, however, this has not been confirmed by Interwetten as the reasoning behind pulling out of Germany’s amateur leagues.
