Tipwin and Mybet have become the second and third nationwide online slots licensees in Germany, receiving licences today (23 June).
Tipwin – a well-known sports betting operator in the country – is now also allowed to offer slots, on a new gaming section of its website.
Online-first operator Mybet has also secured a licence, through its owner Ruleo Alpenland. A previous iteration of Mybet had filed for insolvency in 2018, before the brand was revived under new ownership, with a new sportsbook provided by Kambi.
The pair join Jackpot Piraten and Bing Bong operator Mernov -which is associated with the Gauselmann Group – on the “white list” to offer online slots.
Online slots in Germany were permitted nationwide – rather than only in Schleswig-Holstein – for the first time thanks to the passage of Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, which came into effect in July 2021.
However, that treaty carried a number of conditions, including a €1 stake limit for slots. In addition, operators must pay 5.3% of their turnover in tax.
As a result of these conditions, no online slots or poker licensees were listed for almost a year after the Treaty came into force. Operators and industry body Deutsche Sportwettenverband (DSWV) argued the rules in place made it too difficult to operate.
The DSWV and European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) together filed a formal state aid complaint with the European Commission challenging the tax rate. The bodies argued that the tax would provide a “substantial and unfair” tax advantage to land-based gambling venues in Germany, which pay lower taxes.
Under the treaty, online table games may also be offered, but with a limited number of licences, as states can choose between a monopoly model or a number of concessions equal to the number of land-based casinos in the state. Schleswig-Holstein and Nordrhein-Westfalen are among the states issuing multiple licences, while Thüringia opted for a monopoly.
Today, Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden announced that it had reported Tipwin to the police in Denmark for violating the country’s Money Laundering Act.
