German District Court Orders Betano Casino to Refund Player
Betano Casino has been ordered to refund a player who tried to set his online casino account limits and didn’t get any assistance despite asking for it on various occasions. Read more about this remarkable case. The player’s lawyer thinks more bettors in the European country will follow the affected player’s example.
The Northern Eastern German District Court of Ludwigslust (near the city of Hamburg) has ordered the international casino operator Betano Casino to repay an amount of €4,380 (NZ$ 7.288,60) worth of player losses, after determining that the website allowed a user to play beyond the €1,000 loss limit. This is a national loss limit set by local authorities.
The case concerned a player who lost €5,380 in the sportsbook of Betano between the 20th of February and the 4th of March 2021. In total, this was significantly more than the €1,000 (NZ$ 1.663,00) monthly loss limit for German operators under Germany’s State Treaty on Gambling. There are some exceptions, but for most websites this is the limit to be followed, including Betano Casino. The player will now get his money back.
István Cocron, the player’s lawyer, said he was also part of the OASIS self-exclusion system that is intended to avoid players from signing up and playing at real money online casinos. As a result of the above, the local court in Ludwigslust had decided Betano Casino would need to return €4,380 to the player within the foreseeable future.
“The operator allowed our client to bet more than the permitted €1,000 per month and thus breached the gaming licence held by them,” Cocron stated. “We have therefore reclaimed the stakes that go beyond the €1,000 limit. Both in online sports betting and online gaming, for which there was a widespread ban in Germany until the 1st of July, 2021, there is a good chance of winning back stakes that seem to have been lost,” Cocron adds — in an attempt to encourage other players to take operators to court.
At the time of the dispute, the deposit limit initially concerned an online operator level, though it was later expanded to refer to players’ spending across all online operators within the regulated German market, through a treaty that came into effect in July 2021.
The most recent case is one of a number of player reimbursement cases that have occured in Germany. While this one dealt with loss limits, many previous cases have concerned losses in online casinos before the vertical rule was legal nationwide. District court decisions on these cases have gone both ways, with district courts such as the Regional Court for Köln ordering reimbursement as well, while Regional Courts in the cities of Braunschweig and Leipzig both spoke out on the side of operators.
About BetAno Casino
Having operated for a couple of years now, Betano Casino is considered a stable gambling brand among players across the world. According to fans, this is because the platform offers users a complete betting section that contains sports, casino, and a well equipped live dealer casino. Betano Casino has managed to become a very popular casino in different parts of Europe including Germany, Romania and Portugal. In recent years it has also successfully expanded its service to other parts of the world, notably Latin America with presence in Brazil, Peru, and Chile. In April 2022, the international operator Allwyn acquired a 36,75% stake in Betano Casino from Greek operator OPAP, paying €50m (NZ$ 83,19m) up front as part of the deal, plus undisclosed earnout payments, based on the performance of the online business in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
About Our Recommended Casinos
Cherry Red Casino sticks to recommending licenced casinos only that typically let their players set account limits such as deposit limits, session limits, and login limits. Although online gambling is allowed in New Zealand, all operators are located offshore, meaning that some extra attention is always recommended when you sign up somewhere. By sticking to casino websites that hold a licence from Malta, the UK, Gibraltar or other leading countries when it comes to gambling, you will typically avoid any inconveniences. Please note that Betano Casino is considered a very popular casino in Europe, but disputes between a consumer and an operator can occasionally happen. Betano is currently not available in New Zealand for players to sign up to.
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