The European Court of Justice ruled that EU law does not prevent a member state from prohibiting online casino games and lottery betting, according to the report. The decision also allows consumers to seek repayment of losses under applicable national law where the games were prohibited.
The ruling affects operators licensed elsewhere in the EU that offer games prohibited in a consumer’s home market.
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Stuttgart’s higher regional court ordered Tipico to reimburse six players. It found the operator lacked authorisation when the losses occurred, making the gambling contracts void and entitling players to recover their losses.
Tipico appealed a Stuttgart ruling favouring a player who lost about €10,000 during 2020–22. A BGH decision may follow in January 2027; it is not final. The report says operators may argue that knowingly participating in unlawful gambling defeats claims, and individual outcomes depend on each case.
A player who lost roughly EUR 10,000 ($11,200) between 2020 and 2022 won a ruling in September 2025 at the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart, which found the money had been taken without a valid legal basis. Tipico Games, a Malta-based operator, is challenging that decision before Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH). A final ruling in the case may not arrive until January 2027.
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.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) published its 2026 annual activity report, reporting €18bn in combined online gross gaming revenue for its nine operator members in 2025, up 34% from 2024. The association said those members held 401 online gambling licences across 22 European jurisdictions and accounted for about 30% of the region’s online GGR.
Austria’s draft gambling law, before parliament and the European Union, would replace the online gambling monopoly with a multi-operator market ahead of the Win2Day exclusive licence’s expiry on 1 October 2027. Under the proposal, companies seeking entry would have to stop serving Austrian customers by January 2027 or face an 18-month licensing exclusion, rising to two years from 2030. The report says the transition timetable and risk of players moving to offshore sites concern industry groups.