SkillOnNet has Schleswig-Holstein licence reissued
Igaming platform provider SkillOnNet has been cleared to continue operating its DrückGlück brand in Germany, after having its licence renewed by the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The permit will allow SkillOnNet to operate its DrückGlück online casino service in Germany until at least 2021, per the terms of an online gaming extension bill that passed in May.
To coincide with the ruling, DrückGlück has renewed a sponsorship deal with local 2 Bundesliga football club Holstein Kiel, granting it branding placement rights on various surfaces inside the team's home stadium.
In addition, SkillOnNet will strengthen its marketing efforts in Germany to draw attention to its continued offering. This will include running a major television advertising campaign on channels such as Pro7, RTL, SAT1, VOX, Kabel1 and Sport1.
“We are thrilled to have been reissued our online casino licence in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, allowing us to continue to offer players in the country the best possible online casino experience through DrückGlück,” SkillOnNet's sales and marketing director Michael Golembo said.
“DrückGlück, with over 3,000 games on offer, has established itself as the online casino market leader in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and the renewal of our licence proves that we are doing this while meeting the highest possible regulatory standards.”
Schleswig-Holstein's liberalised regulatory framework for online gaming will be in effect until June 30, 2021. Operators that were certified in 2012 are now able to extend their licences until 2021.
There no restrictions on what products can be offered, while licensees are taxed at 20% of gross gaming revenue.
Existing licences began to expire in December 2018 after the state's previous administration pushed ahead with plans to rejoin the 2012 State Treaty on Gambling, but a change in government saw these plans scrapped.
Germany's 16 federal states are currently working on developing a new federal regulatory model for 2021, when the State Treaty on Gambling expires. Until then, 15 of the 16, with the exception of Schleswig-Holstein, must adhere to the State Treaty on Gambling, which limits the market to sports betting and sets a 5% turnover tax. Efforts to drive operators offering other verticals from the market are being stepped up, with the state of Niedersachsen issuing payment service providers with orders to cease processing transactions with such sites.