{"id":8983,"date":"2025-04-18T00:20:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T00:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slategray-wallaby-310340.hostingersite.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/18\/european-court-to-review-german-laws-in-malta-gambling-dispute\/"},"modified":"2025-04-18T00:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T00:20:57","slug":"european-court-to-review-german-laws-in-malta-gambling-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/18\/european-court-to-review-german-laws-in-malta-gambling-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"European Court to Review German Laws in Malta Gambling Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>A legal dispute that started with a single lawsuit in Germany has now landed at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and could shake the online gambling structure across the European Union.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em><strong>Good to Know<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>A case at the European Court of Justice could affect \u20ac1 billion in player claims.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Germany challenges Malta-based gambling platforms that lacked local licenses.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Malta\u2019s Bill 55 is under fire for shielding its licensed operators from foreign judgments.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p>At the center is Case C-440, which began in 2021 when a German player filed a complaint against Lottoland, a Malta-licensed gambling operator. The player claimed they were able to access and play on the platform despite Lottoland not holding a German license at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Lawyer Volker Ramge later took over the case and expanded it to include more German consumers. He also widened the legal challenge to target additional operators based in Malta, arguing they had operated in Germany without following the proper local licensing process.<\/p>\n<p>Both sides agreed to bring the issue before the ECJ, asking whether Germany\u2019s former Interstate Treaty on Gambling, which was active until 2021, is compatible with EU law. The court is now assessing whether the German rules at the time conflicted with the European Union\u2019s free movement of services under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). A legal opinion from the Advocate General is expected by July 10, 2025.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"7Bit Casino\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7BitCasino.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"7Bit Casino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">7Bit Casino<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>177% up to 5BTC + 77 <strong>\u00a0Free Spins<\/strong>!<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 177% + 77 Free Spins\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The case has sparked interest beyond Germany. Bill 55, passed in Malta in 2023, has added more controversy. The law allows Maltese courts to refuse to enforce foreign rulings against gambling firms licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). According to the MGA, the bill protects businesses from judgments that go against EU market values.<\/p>\n<p>In August 2023, Germany\u2019s gambling regulator GGL raised concerns about Malta\u2019s Bill No 55, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/german-gambling-authority-questions-legality-of-maltas-bill-55-and-its-european-compliance\/\">warning<\/a> <\/strong>it may breach EU law on cross-border legal enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>However, regulators in other EU countries disagree. Germany\u2019s gambling authority, GGL, argues the law conflicts with the EU\u2019s legal framework and threatens cross-border judicial cooperation. Critics say it prioritizes financial interests over legal obligations.<\/p>\n<p>Austria is also involved. The Vienna Commercial Court has submitted questions about the legality of Malta\u2019s Bill 55 to the ECJ, while the European Commission is reviewing whether the law violates EU rules.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/katsubet-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"Katsubet\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Katsubet.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/katsubet-casino\/\" title=\"Katsubet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Katsubet<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>5BTC or 111% + 111 Free Spins!<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive 111% Welcome Bonus  + 111 Free Spins<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/katsubet-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lawyer Julian Cocron summed up the stakes, saying the Commission has stressed the importance of carefully handling cases like this. If the ECJ rules against Malta, gambling firms could face a flood of compensation claims from players across Europe, especially in Germany and Austria.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/european-court-to-review-german-laws-in-malta-gambling-dispute\/\">European Court to Review German Laws in Malta Gambling Dispute<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/\">iGaming.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A legal dispute that started with a single lawsuit in Germany has now landed at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and could shake the online gambling structure across the European Union. Good to Know A case at the European Court of Justice could affect \u20ac1 billion in player claims. Germany challenges Malta-based gambling platforms [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}