Posted 3/10/11 : Industry awaits political decision on whether to liberalise the market
The chief executive officer of the giant Austrian online gambling group Bwin Interactive, Norbert Teufelberger, is optimistic that the German market will be opened up and the current monopolistic stranglehold of the country's sixteen states (provinces) will be broken.
Teufelberger made the prediction in an interview this week with the mainstream newspaper Handelsblatt, saying that all the indications point to liberalisation, and that a positive decision is expected this week from the government.
The Bwin executive said that his company, which is in the process of merging with Party Gaming plc to create the world's biggest internet gambling group, was prepared to pay taxes and apply for licensing in an open and competitive market.