After Entain, GGPoker now arrives in Germany
GGPoker has become the latest operator to receive its online gambling license in Germany. The NSUS Malta owned entity was given the green light from the State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt to offer its online poker services to German players from November 25th. This announcement comes days after another major operator, Entain, received its online gambling licenses in Germany. Just like Entain and other operators, the validity of GGPoker’s license will span five years.
GGPoker becomes the second household name after Entain to be granted a license in the newly regulated market. ©Amanda Jones/Unsplash
Having started in 2017, it took GGPoker a couple of years to make their presence felt in the online gambling markets. This happened right after renowned poker player Daniel Negreanu was announced as the operator’s brand ambassador. GGPoker added famous personalities like French professional poker player and e-sportsman Bertrand Grospellier, German poker player and entrepreneur Fedor Holz, and the USA’s professional poker player Jason Koon as ambassadors.
GGPoker now a worldwide brand
During the pandemic in 2020, 54 bracelets of the inaugural World Series of Poker Online were played at GGPoker. With a prize pool of a little over $27.5 million, the poker rooms participating in the main event set a new world record for the largest online poker tournament. After receiving licenses from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) in 2017 and the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission in 2021, GGPoker has legitimately entered the gambling market of Germany, a country where the licensing process is considered to be a tad complicated compared to other European nations. Sven Stiel of NSUS Germany said that GGPoker’s entry into the country would be a step towards a more “modern” epoch.
“We are overjoyed to have gone the long and constructive way with the authorities. Now we are able to offer our high-quality, innovative and secure poker environment officially and legally secured. This is the decisive step towards modern iGaming in Germany under professional and customer-oriented conditions.”
Germany’s new market being led by Entain entry
Isle of Man-based operator Entain entered the German market earlier this week after the entity requested multiple online gambling licenses that were approved by Saxony-Anhalt’s gaming regulators. After securing the three iGaming licenses and two licenses for digital poker, Entain became the first legitimate operator in the country to provide the service.
Earlier this year, the operator also made its presence felt in Croatia and the Netherlands as it continued to expand across the European continent. The operator was initially present in the Netherlands but withdrew as it only wanted to be a part of regulated gambling markets. As soon as the nation announced that the markets were regulated, Entain re-entered the Dutch market.
Entain is home to some brands like Bwin, Ladbrokes, and Sportingbet, all of which are now free to operate in Germany. The operator’s Chief Governance Officer Robert Hoskin said he was pleased after that regulation had been achieved.
“We’re delighted to now have our licences for gaming and poker services in the regulated German market, enabling us to offer and market them to our customers. It is an important and welcome step towards achieving the goal of a fully regulated online betting and gaming market in Germany. Only through such regulation and its enforcement will we avoid the reality of customers going to the black market where there are none of the safeguards that reputable operators such as Entain guarantee.”
