Nordrhein-Westfalen opens table game tender process

When the GlüNeuRStV came into effect in July 1st after Nordrhein-Westfalen approved it, it permitted licensing for slots and poker games. However, it stated that non-poker table games, both through RNGs and with live broadcasts of dealers, were not covered by the treaty in the way that slots and poker are.

Therefore, permission to offer banked table games is handled through the granting of concessions by individual states.

Nordrhein-Westfalen has now opened the bidding process for this, with up to five non-poker table game licences to be granted. Licences will be valid for 10 years.

Existing licence-holders require a separate licence to offer non-poker table games and will be given a maximum of two sites from which to broadcast live banker games.

The GlüNeuRStV was implemented in July following a process that lasted many years and drew substantial criticism. It aimed to legalise online casino games but included restrictive measures, such as a €1 per spin stake limit.

However, after negotiations, the state of Schleswig-Holstein revealed that states would have the power to take control of their own online casino rules. This meant the option to extend their monopoly on table games to virtual bankholder games.