German player gets refund

The author participated in sports betting on Vulcanvegas.com between 2020 and 2022. This site is operated by Brivio Limited based in Cyprus. Plaintiff’s losses were estimated at €14,000.

Unlike the previous cases, which dealt with activities before the entry into force of the Fourth State Treaty on Gambling and Betting in Germany, this case included activities until 2022.

Brivio Limited was not licensed to operate before or after the entry into force of the Treaty, meaning that its post-Treaty activity was also illegal.

Reimbursement

The court said the operator violated the State Treaty on Gambling as it did not have a license to operate.

The judgment was given in absentia as Brivio Limited did not defend itself against the court action.

In addition to being ordered to pay the losses, Brivio Limited must also pay the associated court costs.

This is one of several recent refund cases in Germany where the court has ruled in favor of the plaintiff, although most have dealt with online casinos, which only became legal outside Schleswig-Holstein last year.

Last month, the highest court in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen ruled that PokerStars must refund a player €58,517.