The European Court of Justice has opened oral hearings on whether German players can recover losses from unlicensed betting operators, according to reports. The case centres on claims concerning bets placed before Tipico received a German licence in 2020; the court’s ruling is pending.
The ruling could affect operators’ exposure to German player-refund claims over bets placed before licensing.
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A German court found that a Malta-licensed operator had no legal basis to keep losses from online casino and slot play that was prohibited in Germany, citing DW. The Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart heard a case involving about €10,000 lost between 2020 and 2022 with Tipico Games. Germany's Federal Court of Justice indicated support for licence-based repayment claims but is not expected to rule finally until 2027.
DW reported on a ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart concerning a Malta-licensed company, Tipico Games. The court concluded that the firm could not lawfully keep money lost by a customer on online casino games and virtual slot machines, since those products were banned in Germany for part of the relevant period. The player's losses came to roughly €10,000 across 2020 to 2022, and the operator was ordered to give the money back.
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.
The Munich I Regional Court ordered Hillside (Sports) LP, the bet365 entity named as defendant, to repay a player about €80,500, according to the report. The player had placed online sports bets from Bavaria between 2014 and 2016; the court found the contracts void because the company lacked the required German licence during that period. The ruling was dated 24 June 2026.
The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court dismissed a claim against the operator of Spielbank Bad Oeynhausen over gambling losses incurred between 2020 and 2022 while the claimant was listed in the OASIS exclusion database. The court said the evidence did not establish that the claimant had suffered the alleged loss or any other quantifiable damage; the claim had also been dismissed at first instance.
It was reported that Cologne's higher regional court ordered an online poker and casino operator without a German licence to repay a player about €63,000. The sum covers losses the player incurred on its platforms from 2014 to 23 June 2023. The Bonn regional court ruled similarly on about €50,000.