The Schleswig-Holstein Legislative Assembly has approved a law confirming five licenses for online table games and a tax rate of up to 44% on gross gaming revenue.
Germany. – The Legislative Assembly of the Land, or Landtag, in Schleswig-Holstein passed a law implementing the Fourth German Gambling Treaty.
Federal legislation that went into effect in July introduced a nationally regulated gambling and sports betting market, but allowed each state to choose between two models for regulating online table games.
States can choose between granting a monopoly on online table games – games, usually owned by a state lottery, or by issuing the same number of licenses as the number of land-based casinos in the state. Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost state, chose the latter. It has five land-based casinos and will therefore allow five online table gaming licenses.
One of the five licenses will be transferred to the state bank Spielbank Schleswig-Holstein, so only four remain in stock. Christian Democratic Union parliamentary secretary Hans-Jorn Arp said they will be released under “respected and strict criteria.”
The tax rate set in the new state law suggests that income from online desktop games up to €300,000 per month will be taxed at a rate of 34%. Income between €300,000 and €750,000 will be taxed at 39 percent, and income over €750,000 at 44 percent.
Arp said:
“For It was important for us to prevent the creation of a new Las Vegas and to control exactly who plays what and how data and money flow.”
He also called on the states of Germany to support the new federal regulator that was created in Saxony-Anhalt, but has not issued any licenses to date.
Source: Focus Gaming News official website