A German tribunal has mandated that Betano, a gaming enterprise, reimburse a gambler’s financial setbacks. The court determined that Betano permitted the gambler to wager beyond the legal threshold established by German regulations, which is €1,000 per month.
The gambler incurred losses totaling €5,380 within a brief span of weeks on Betano’s sports wagering platform. This amount significantly exceeds the limit stipulated by German legislation.
The gambler had also enrolled in a program designed to assist individuals in curbing their gambling habits, yet Betano still allowed them to engage in wagering.
The court in Ludwigslust, situated near Hamburg, returned €4,380 to the gambler. The gambler’s legal representative asserted that Betano violated regulations by enabling the gambler to place such substantial wagers.
At first, the limitation only affected operator level, but it was later expanded to encompass player spending at operators in all regulated markets through a pact that came into effect in July 2021.
This situation is one of many player reimbursement situations in Germany. While this situation involves a loss limit, many prior situations have involved losses at online casinos before the industry was legalized across the nation. Court decisions in these situations have been varied, with the Cologne Regional Court (Landesgericht) ruling in favor of reimbursements, while the Braunschweig and Leipzig Regional Courts have ruled in favor of the operators.
“Before July 1, 2021, Germany had a broad prohibition on online sports betting and online gambling, so it is probable that bets that appear to have been lost can be recovered,” Cochran stated.
In April of this year, international operator Allwyn obtained a 36.75% interest in Greek operator OPAP’s Betano, paying €50 million upfront as part of the agreement, plus undisclosed performance payments based on business performance in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
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