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German City to Shut All Betting Shops Amid Money-laundering Allegations

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The German city of Bremen is planning to shut down all of its betting shops after the interior senator said their owners had failed to convince him that they were not fronts for money laundering.

Bremen, Germany’s smallest city-state, announced on Wednesday it had issued rejection notices to 32 establishments that had applied for betting licences under a new gambling law, meaning any bets placed on their premises would with immediate effect be deemed illegal.

The betting shops have until 5 August to legally challenge the decision or supply the senate with paperwork showing how they obtained their startup capital to open their businesses in the first place, such as a loan agreement with a bank.

Bremen authorities say they are tackling a problem that is not unique to their city but widespread across Germany. A 2019 report by the finance ministry and federal police said criminals were not only using legal gambling practices to launder dirty money but often directly investing money to buy up betting shops.

In some such cases, the entire gambling activity taking place on the shop’s premises was merely “simulated” and the profits showing up in the books came from illegal activities such as drug dealing, the report said.

Unlike in Britain, where most high-street betting establishments are run by large gambling companies such as William Hill or Ladbrokes, in Germany betting shops are mostly run by smaller businesses that buy a franchise licence from larger firms.

“At its core, this is about checking the reliability of these operators. We also want to guarantee that no money from dodgy businesses like drug dealing or human trafficking is being laundered here and thus flows into legal money cycles,” Ulrich Mäurer, Bremen’s senator for interior affairs, said.

Over the past few months, Bremen authorities approached four large betting companies that operate in the city, asking them to provide written evidence of how their franchise holders had acquired their startup capital, usually a sum of up to €120,000.

None of the betting shops had since handed in paperwork that met the authorities’ requirements, a Bremen senate spokesperson said. In one instance an application for a gambling licence had been rejected because the betting shop was located too close to a school, rather than because of the missing paperwork.

“Other states in Germany are looking with close interest at what we are achieving by taking this step. If we are successful, I expect many of them will follow suit,” said a spokesperson, Rose Gerdts-Schiffler.

The closures were criticised by Germany’s Sports Betting Association, whose president, Mathias Dahms, said the city’s actions were “arbitrary, legally questionable and completely out of proportion, motivated purely by political goals”.

Central Europe

SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene

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SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene
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SYNOT Games, a leading iGaming provider, has partnered with win2day, taking a major step in its Austrian market growth strategy.

The collaboration marks its debut with the launch of Resin Joker, a fan-favorite slot that combines the simplicity of a classic gaming experience with a fresh, modern twist. With its smooth gameplay, vibrant audio-visuals, and universal appeal, Respin Joker has become a standout title for players seeking both entertainment and nostalgia.

As this partnership progresses, players can look forward to a steady rollout of additional games from SYNOT Games’ extensive portfolio, further enriching win2day’s already robust catalog. This collaboration is designed to offer Austrian players a premium gaming experience, with a diverse selection of games that blend cutting-edge innovation and top-tier quality.

Georg Wawer, Managing Director of win2day, said: „As the sole licensed operator in Austria, our goal is to host all leading iGaming providers on our platform. Synot, being a major player on the international stage, makes us proud to feature their content. We regard SYNOT Games as a skilled and trustworthy partner for win2day, and we are confident that this collaboration will yield great success.

Martina Krajčí, CCO at SYNOT Games, commented: “We are excited to partner with win2day and bring our games to Austrian players. At SYNOT Games, our focus has always been on providing quality entertainment, and this partnership highlights our commitment to delivering an outstanding gaming experience.”

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25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany

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25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany
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  • From living room start-up to online market leader
  • Ambitious growth targets and innovative product ideas

ZEAL Network SE, the market leader for online lotteries in Germany, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Founded in 1999 as Tipp24, the company was one of the first on the German market to bring lotteries to the internet. Since then, ZEAL has had a lasting impact on the German online lottery business. 

“We are very proud of a quarter century of ZEAL,” says Helmut Becker, CEO of ZEAL. “What began 25 years ago as a two-man start-up in Hamburg has now developed into a group of companies with more than 250 employees. We are more successful than ever in our core business of lottery brokerage and are continuously expanding our market share and our business model. In doing so, we are staying true to our motto: we define the future of lottery.”

From start-up to international group

ZEAL was founded as Tipp24 in Hamburg in 1999. The company was one of the first providers to enable participation in state lotteries in Germany via the Internet – with great success. The IPO followed in 2005. This was followed by the temporary relocation of the company headquarters to London, the change of name to ZEAL Network SE and the development of new business abroad. In 2019, the company returned to Hamburg and took over LOTTO24 AG. This made ZEAL the largest lottery broker in Germany. Today, more than 1.3 million customers play with ZEAL’s brands every month.

“As one of the founders, I am particularly happy about ZEAL’s success story,” says Jens Schumann, co-founder of ZEAL 25 years ago and now a member of the Supervisory Board. “When we founded the company, we printed out the lottery tickets that our customers played online and handed them in at the kiosk around the corner. A lot has happened since then. Today, ZEAL is one of Germany’s leading e-commerce companies. It gives me great pleasure to have been so closely involved in its development to date.”

Continuing to grow in the core business, developing new business areas

Today, ZEAL is the market leader for online lotteries in Germany. The brokerage of participation in state and charity lotteries remains the company’s core business, which it intends to expand in the future. In addition, ZEAL is continuously developing its portfolio: in the summer, for example, the company launched the first raffle of an existing property in Germany with Traumhausverlosung (English name: Dream House Raffle). ZEAL also appeals to younger target groups in particular with the freiheit+ charity lottery. Last year, ZEAL also launched an online games offering, which has been continuously expanded since then. ZEAL also operates the online presence of the ONCE charity lottery in Spain, a public organization for the blind, and invests in industry-specific start-ups via its ventures department ZEAL Ventures.

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Central Europe

NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award”

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NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award”
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The world’s largest independent brand evaluation organization, Business Superbrands Brand Council, has once again recognized NOVOMATIC as one of Austria’s strongest brands for the year 2024/2025.

The prestigious award is given to brands that have built up an outstanding image in their market segment and clearly stand out from their competitors. After a pre-selection by the credit rating service provider Bisnode D&B, an independent panel of experts decides on the awarding of the title. NOVOMATIC’s exceptional brand strength and innovative power were convincing and underlined our success on both the domestic and international markets.

Stefan Krenn, Executive Board Member of NOVOMATIC AG, accepted the award from András Wiszkidenszky, Superbrands Regional Director, and emphasized: “This award underlines our strong market position and the continuous pursuit of innovation and excellence in the international gaming industry. At the same time, it is a sign of appreciation for the extraordinary commitment of our employees, who contribute to the success of the NOVOMATIC brand every day.”

András Wiszkidenszky added: “The Superbrand award underlines the economic appeal of the NOVOMATIC brand. Congratulations on the outstanding brand management and strong positioning that have made NOVOMATIC one of the strongest brands in Austria.”

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