Bet-at-home withdraws from Austria

European gambling providers truly do not have it easy. They have to comply with the licensing conditions, but they also have to take into account the legal situation of the country in which they want to offer their portals. With most countries undergoing a legal turnaround at the moment, online casinos have to be reviewed regularly. Sometimes it even comes to a complete withdrawal from a certain country, as bet-at-home has now decided.

Monopoly position in Austria largely to blame

Bet-at-home announced in a public statement that it was not foreseeable whether Austrian legislation would abolish the gambling monopoly in Austria or not. Currently, it does not look like Austria will change the gambling law via case law. Therefore, there is an incalculable risk for Bet-at-home, so the Group unanimously decided to stop offering its services in Austria as soon as possible.

The stock exchange reacted immediately to the public announcement. The share price of Bet-at-home lost value and is currently less than half of six months ago. Whether this was only due to the decision or because port for the third quarter of 2021 will be published later than planned. Possibly it can also be because Bet-at-home is not only withdrawing from Austria.

However, another situation led Bet-at-home to turn its back on Austria. According to the Austrian courts, a subsidiary must reimburse losses that were earned through an online casino. After the Group assumes that several players will follow the ruling and also apply for a refund, the bookmaker wants to prevent further losses from the very beginning. This is the only way to avoid further refunds. You can play safely at best online casinos in India.

Poland: Bet-at-home operated without a license

Bet-at-home withdrew from Poland for a completely different reason: the company did not have a license for Poland but offered its services anyway. The gambling provider voluntarily decided to stop offering gambling in Poland to avoid being dragged into proceedings here. However, this decision took a couple of years, as the company offered its games in Poland for several years. Since 2017, however, there have been problems after no license was available.

Thus, according to Bet-at-home offers, some measures would have already been initiated. These included IP blocking and payment blocking, for example. However, all this did not immediately lead to Bet-at-home stopping in Poland. The decision to leave this country as well was taken much later. The main reason was that the laws and licensing conditions in Poland were tightened once again. In order not to be completely excluded from the licensing process, the online bookmaker itself resigned.

Loss of revenue in Germany

If the online bookmaker no longer offers games in a certain country, this naturally means a loss of revenue. The company also expects this to happen in Germany, as not all existing customers have already re-verified their accounts. This re-registration has been necessary since last year after the online bookmaker revised its online portals due to the new German State Gambling Treaty. However, if not all previous customers re-activate their accounts, they will not be able to play, and the drop in revenue will be complete.

In this context, Bet-at-home has noted that the European Football Championship also failed to generate the desired revenue. In addition, the company has to make provisions in the millions due to the receivables, which causes the result of the current fiscal year to slide into the red. It cannot be estimated how many years it will take for the online bookmaker's balance sheet to recover.

How safe is Bet-at-home?

If Bet-at-home withdraws from a country due to the lack of a license, it does not mean that the Group is not reputable. Those who look at the options at this online bookmaker quickly realize that it cares a lot about player safety. While many online casinos with slots only offer the chance for anyone to set a betting limit or loss limit, this bookmaker reacts differently.

This company puts one on top and presents a self-test. With this, every player can analyze their behavior and change it if necessary. However, this test only works if someone is also honest with himself. If a questionable result comes out, the player can request a consultation at any time. Alternatively, the bookmaker presents numerous tips that anyone can follow. This idea increases player protection and confirms that this gambling provider is a reputable company.

Through this, Bet-at-home also managed to be a member of several associations that also stand for high player protection: IBIA, EASG, and DOCV are just a few examples.