Entain has announced this week that licences have been awarded by the State Administrative Office of Saxony-Anhalt, for the operation of its gaming and poker services throughout Germany.
The Group has been granted all five licences it applied for, enabling it to offer gaming under its bwin, Ladbrokes and Sportingbet brands, and poker under bwin and Ladbrokes. Each licence is granted for a term of five years. Entain is the first operator to be licenced to offer online poker.
The new awards are in addition to Entain’s existing licences to offer online sports betting under each brand and will enable the Group to enhance and develop its position as a market leader in sports betting and gaming in Germany.
Robert Hoskin, Entain’s Chief Governance Officer commented: “We’re delighted to now have our licences for gaming and poker services in the regulated German market, enabling us to offer and market them to our customers. It is an important and welcome step towards achieving the goal of a fully regulated online betting and gaming market in Germany. Only through such regulation and its enforcement will we avoid the reality of customers going to the black market where there are none of the safeguards that reputable operators such as Entain guarantee.”