Several German states are in discussions over a potential transition period that could allow operators to continue offering online casino products until the vertical is legalised from July 2021.

The exact nature of the discussions and whether this would allow operators to provide online casino without any sort of restriction, is as yet unclear, with reports telling that they do not want to pre-empt the talks.

“The federal states are currently coordinating the extent to which enforcement measures against illegal gambling can be effectively implemented in the transition phase,” a spokesperson for the state government of Nordrhein-Westfalen said.

While other states are yet to respond to requests for comment, local media reports that the chancelleries in Bavaria, Hamburg and Berlin are also involved in the discussions.

The discussions are playing out ahead of the implementation of the Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV) from 1 July 2021. This revised regulatory model, which is currently subject to a standstill period as it is considered by the European Commission, expands the online market beyond sports betting for the first time.

From July next year, online casino and poker will be regulated, albeit under strict conditions, such as a €1 per spin cap on slot stakes, and table games licences restricted to the number of land-based casinos in each state.

Casinos in the UK are to remain closed until at least August 15 after the government postponed the further easing of lockdown measures put in place due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Last month, the government said that it would allow more indoor venues including casinos, cinemas and bowling alleys to reopen from August 1 as part of its gradual easing of lockdown in the UK.

Casinos have been closed since 20 March and remained shuttered despite other land-based gambling outlets such as betting shops (15 June) and bingo halls (4 July) being allowed to welcome back customers.

However, the government has now delayed the planned relaxation of measures on larger indoor venues, with these now set to remain shut for at least another two weeks.

“We simply cannot take the risk; we will continue to study the data carefully and move forward with our intention to open up as soon as we can,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, hit out at the decision, saying there is “no evidence” to show that casinos are higher risk venues. He also blasted the decision to enforce the ongoing closures nationwide.

“What happened to the government’s local lockdown strategy,” Dugher said in a Twitter post. “Why should a casino business remain closed in Bristol in the south west, where Covid-19 is low, because there’s a spike in greater Manchester? Big threat to jobs.”

Oleksandr Kokhanovsky, the co-founder of the Ukrainian multi-gaming e-sports organisation Natus Vincere (NAVI), has said that the Dnipro hotel in Kyiv will be transformed into an e-sports venue.

“The victory in the auction for Dnipro hotel was won not by Russian oligarchs, but by Ukrainian IT specialists. We will turn it into the first hotel in the world fully prepared for e-sports events. It will include not only the attributes of a top hotel (restaurants, bars, SPA zones, and fitness centers), but also unique e-sports elements: training zones, an e-sports stage, special rooms for professional players, as well as the world’s best players’ lounge,” Oleksandr Kokhanovsky, founder of the DreamTeam gaming platform, said on Facebook.

According to Kokhanovsky, a group of partners and investors will work on the project.

He also noted that a presentation of the Ukrainian Professional E-sport Association was scheduled for September, which plans to have a large infrastructure cybersport project.

“This is a whole ecosystem, which includes the creation of a modern multifunctional e-sports arena with all-Ukrainian and international tournaments, an e-sports academy, educational projects and an e-sports association uniting key market players who will develop the industry and help improve the legislative framework,” Kokhanovsky said.