Speaking to SBC at BOSE 2022, Matthias Kirschenhofer from Sport1 Medien discussed the direction German sports betting is taking. 

On why media companies like his find the space attractive, Kirschenhofer said: “For us, the sports betting industry is very interesting and in general, the whole gambling industry. Sports platforms and sports betting are the perfect match – a very interesting advertising market for us.”

Asked to detail his observations on how the German sports betting market has developed so far, the Sport1 Medien Executive Board member explained: “Germany is a young market. Before 2012 we had a strict state monopoly in view of the whole online gambling. 

“The German Bundeslaender then opened the market for sports betting, and I think it was a great success. Now they took the decision to also open the market for online casinos and online poker. We are looking forward to the development of the industry in Germany.”

Highlighting the current uncertainties in the space, Kirschenhofer drew a parallel with a similar situation in Germany’s history: “When you take a look at the 80s of the last century we had the big discussion in Germany about handing licences to the public broadcasters. You had a lot of people who said that this was not a good idea.

“Today, it’s a big industry and no one questions whether it makes sense.”

Further into the discussion, Kirschenhofer highlighted that foreign incumbents will act right if they put their trust in the German market. 

He concluded: “There are over 80 million people there – it’s a big market, and it’s a fresh market. If you take a look at the figures, only the local online casino market, which at the moment is a grey market, has a GGR of €2.5bn per year. 

“There’s also a permanent discussion with the regulator. If you step into the German market now, then you’ll get in touch with the regulator and they are very open to discussing all pain points.”