Player Reimbursed Their Losses in Full

The player placed bets on the operator’s website vulcanvegas.com for approximately two years, between 2020 and 2022. His losses were estimated at around €14,000(approximately $14,831), and the German court’s ruling was made by default, as Brivio didn’t show up. The court order also covers the associated court costs, according to a report by iGaming Business (iGB).

The two-year window in which the players placed sports bets covers both periods before, as well as after the State Treaty on Gambling 2021 was introduced. The Cyprus-based operator was conducting business illegally in both periods, as it wasn’t licensed before or after the legislative changes took effect in the country.

The new regulation brought a lot of confusion and scrutiny from traditionally opposing sides, and Germany even received a blue letter from the European Commission (EC), asking it to elaborate further on its intentions before the legislative changes were implemented. This confusion resulted in a lot of bureaucracy, frustration, and even raised questions of effectiveness.

Multiple Changes in German Regulation

This isn’t the first such ruling made by the Köln court, or in Germany for that matter, as this year saw several other similar cases where operators were conducting business illegally. At one point in 2019, the situation reached its peak for sportsbook operators, as the country implemented a temporary model, which still required action on the operators’ side.

Of course, it’s the operator’s obligation to keep up with regulations and ensure compliance, and Germany’s decision to implement the changes it made were somewhat necessary. However, the circumstances leading up to the partial legislative rework, and the rocky road to implementation meant that there were more than a few kinks to iron out.

Just recently another Köln court ordered PokerStars to reimburse a player for $58,494 – the losses the player had incurred playing on PokerStars’ then-illegal platform. The player wasn’t penalized because the court established there wasn’t sufficient information on the operator’s website to warn them of the illegal status of poker.

Betano also appeared in headlines for failing to comply with Germany’s gaming legislation. The operator failed to comply with new regulations which set the limit on monthly losses at€1,000 (approx. $1060). By not adhering to the limit set, Betano incurred the penalty when a player lost approximately $5,700 in the space between February 20, 2021 and March 4, 2021.