It looks as if private online casino and gaming site operators in Germany are in for a battle against state gambling monopolies following the injunction of Munich's gambling authority that would prohibit the online betting operator, bwin (formerly Bet and Win) from operating in Germany under its legitimate casino gaming license which the company has held for sixteen years.  Coupled with the news that the Bavarian Media Agency was ordered to cease advertising for private online casino operators (which they are now contesting with the Bavarian State), and that over sixty betting shops have been shut down, gambling affairs in Germany are most certainly unsettled at the current time.

Martin Arendts, who is lawyer based out of Germany, commented on the prohibitions as being an attack on private online casino and gaming site operators, and that the specific targeting of bwin is a message to all private operators seeking to do business in Germany.  Since bwin is Bavaria's largest competitor in the European online gambling market, it has become clearly evident the State is orchestrating the gambling industry crackdown. Even though bwin's gaming license has not been revoked (which there is no justifiable reason for doing so), bwin Interactive Entertainment AG could be severely fined if they do not close down their business and cease taking sports bets in Germany.

The European Court of Justice will likely disapprove of the measures taken by the German State.  However, just like the WTO decision regarding Antigua and Barbuda and the U.S., the decision could be given a bias interpretation by German courts, who have shown their contempt for community law in the past. The political pressure coming from those who seek to maintain the German government's monopoly on the casino gambling and sports betting industry is a formidable force to say the least.