DSWV adds BildBet and Sportwetten.de to ranks

Both operators have sports betting licences in Germany, which is a condition for joining DSWV.

The additions of BildBet and Sportwetten.de brings the total number of DSWV members to 17.

BildBet was created through a collaboration between German newspaper Bild and British bookmaker BetVictor in what was the businesses described as a “strategic brand cooperation”. It launched in December 2020 after being announced in October.

BetVictor’s licence allowed Bild to create BildBet, along with BildSportwetten.

Sportwetten.de is a new division of horse racing operator Pferdewetten.de AG, focused on sports betting.

Both BildBet and Sportwetten.de were among the 15 sports betting licensees approved by the Regional Council of Darmstadt in October 2020, the first wave of licensees under German’s third State Treaty on Gambling.

The process to award sports betting licences was initially delayed by a lawsuit claiming discrimination into the licencing process in April. However, this was ultimately dismissed by the Darmstadt Administrative Court.

“With BildBet and Sportwetten.de, the DSWV is gaining two more renowned and ambitious members,” said Mathais Dahms, president of DSWV.

“Our aim is to engage in critical but constructive dialogue with politicians and authorities to continuously develop gaming regulation in Germany – even after the new State Treaty on Gaming has come into force.”

Sports betting was the only form of betting allowed in Germany before the Fourth State Treaty on Gambling came into force on 1 July 2021.

The DSWV had been critical of the more controversial aspects of the Treaty, such as the 5.3% turnover tax on online slots and poker.

The association argued that this could “jeopardise the success of the new gambling regulation in Germany”, adding that unlicenced operators could benefit from the imposing operating conditions.