Not happy
FC Bayern Munich board member Jörg Wacker has criticized proposed restrictions on Germany’s online gambling sector.
latest business and sports figure to criticize the country’s proposed online gambling restrictions
Wacker is the latest business and sports figure to criticize the country’s proposed online gambling restrictions. The country’s provinces have been discussing these charges as part of the upcoming “Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling,” which is set to take effect in 2021.
Planned restrictions
Elements of this new set of regulations have been changed, such as no longer restricting online casinos as heavily as first proposed. However, the German Federal Council (Bundesrat) wants to clamp down on sports betting.
Wacker shared his thoughts with German tabloid BILD. He is calling on state executives to revise this federal mandate in relation to sports betting. Wacker says that “the regulation does not fit market realities.”
Speaking from experience
The Bayern Munich executive does have experience in the gambling space, having formerly been the managing director for Bwin’s German operations. He has been a member of Bayern Munich’s board since 2013. He is tasked with expanding the team’s profile across the globe.
Wacker noted that using the word “illegal” as a part of the treaty for operators is completely unsuitable when they are licensed in other European countries and in Schleswig-Holstein (the sole federal state in Germany that currently issues online gambling licenses).
bookmakers in Germany paid more than €500m ($542m) in taxes to the state in 2019
He spoke about how no clarification has been given on the legal situation for the past 15 years despite the fact that bookmakers in Germany paid more than €500m ($542m) in taxes to the state in 2019. Therefore, there clearly is a legal basis for their operations he says.
Response to critics
Responding to those who have criticized Bayern Munich’s partnership with the Tipico, Wacker said that the club only partners with companies that are market leaders.
Speaking about the planned restrictions, Wacker said: “A €1,000 ($1,083) 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.”
Other parties are also worried about the effect such restrictions will have on black market betting activity. German Sports Betting Association President Mathias Dahms recently wrote a letter on the issue. He warned officials that many people will be driven to the black market if these regulations go ahead as planned.
