The German government has ordered payment processors including PayPal to refrain from working with online casino operators that target gamblers in the country. PayPal’s German-language guidelines will file the transactions under “prohibited activities.” The new rules will take effect on October 21, 2019.
Last December, major gaming group GVC Holdings announced that PayPal would not be available as a payment option for casino product in Germany across all its brands.
The state of Schleswig-Holstein is the only place in Germany where online casino gambling is legal. Previously issued online casino licenses expired earlier this year, but were reinstated in June until mid-2021, when German authorities hope a permanent gambling regulatory framework that will apply to all states will take effect.
