GERMAN STATE OF THURINGIA PROPOSES ONLINE CASINO MONOPOLY

The parliament of the German state of Thuringia has voted for an amendment to its gambling law, which would see a monopoly operator granted the concession to offer online casino table games such as blackjack or roulette.

The amendment to the Thuringian Casino Act will now be referred to the European Commission for approval before a final vote in the state parliament.

The Thuringian State Lottery will be the favourite to assume the monopoly but the Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs will consider other options.

“Legally, online casino games can and in practice be organized by an institution or company commissioned by the state. However, it must be entirely in the hands of the state,” according to a statement from state parliament.

The monopoly proposal is possible under the new State Treaty on Gambling, which only regulates the national operation of online slots, poker and sports betting.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia recently announced plans to offer 10-year licences to a number of operators. However, the state of Thuringia has only 2.14m inhabitants and North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s largest state with a population of 17.9m.

If the law is approved by the Commission and voted through by parliament, “strict conditions” will be applied to the prospective operator on responsible gambling guidelines and a possible advertising ban.

Gamingintelligence