The CJEU ruled that players may rely on the law of their country of residence when bringing claims against operators without a local gambling licence. It said the harm is generally treated as occurring where the player lives, potentially affecting claims involving Malta-licensed operators and countries where they lack licences.
Operators may face claims under players’ home-country laws even when licensed in Malta.
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The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in the TQ v Mr Green Limited case that national judges may consider a debtor’s past conduct and domestic laws when deciding whether a European account-preservation order is urgently necessary. The dispute concerns an Austrian player seeking to recover losses from an operator without an Austrian licence; the court’s ruling addresses the criteria for such orders.
A federal judge in California rejected Boris Said Jr.’s attempt to dismiss claims under the state’s Unfair Competition Law, allowing the lawsuit over RBLXWild to proceed. The claims allege that the site enabled users to wager Robux on chance-based games and that Said profited from users’ losses; the judge found the complaint sufficiently detailed to proceed.
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice heard a case on whether players can recover losses from online gambling providers without German licences. The court is due to announce its rulings on 27 January 2027, and the report said possible repayment claims may remain viable.
Austria’s Supreme Court has ruled that company directors may be personally liable in disputes over player losses linked to gambling activity in Austria, according to the report. The report says the court applied the Austrian Gambling Act of 1989; it does not identify the case or provide the ruling date.
A report says Germany’s gambling restrictions are pushing players towards unlicensed offshore platforms. It cites a Fall 2024 H2 Gambling Capital analysis that put online channelisation at 36%, and industry associations’ estimate of 50,000 illegal physical machines alongside 180,000 legal machines.