On March 6, 2025, ARD and Die ZEIT reported on online sports betting in Germany, mentioning a supposed “secret agreement” between sports betting providers and the federal states.

This claim is incorrect.

In fact, this agreement is a judicial settlement which was reached and recorded during a public hearing at the Darmstadt Administrative Court. Furthermore, the federal states have publicly disclosed the contents of this settlement in their interim report evaluating the State Treaty on Gambling. This report has been publicly accessible since June 2024 on the websites of the Conference of Interior Ministers and several state parliaments.

Additionally, a TV segment aired on March 6, 2025, as part of ARD’s “Monitor” program covering online gambling in Germany claimed that a student with limited financial resources was able to increase his deposit limit at Tipico within “just two seconds.” The segment implies that this procedure violated regulatory requirements. The impression was further intensified by stating that Tipico “declined to comment” when asked why this limit increase was granted.

This claim is incorrect.

Below is the original question (translated from German to English) by ARD Monitor and Tipico’s timely response:

ARD Monitor: In a test scenario, we asked a student with a low monthly income to increase his limit at Tipico. Within a few minutes, he received approval from your company for a monthly limit increase to 10,000 euros, even though this was clearly beyond his financial capabilities. Please provide a statement regarding this matter.

Tipico: We would be happy to investigate this case thoroughly. If you provide us with the relevant details, we can comment on why this limit increase was approved.

We received no further response with details from the editor.

In practice, all requested limit increases are reviewed according to the ancillary conditions stipulated in our license, with various verification methods available. The Schufa-G inquiry described in this report is one such method.

The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, GGL) has published detailed information regarding the Schufa-G inquiry: GGL statement (in German)

• Erfurt Regional Court Asks European Court of Justice for Further Clarification

• It’s clear: Refund claims are a matter of EU law and will be decided by the ECJ

• Tipico: “We’re confident that, as in the past, the ECJ will rule in our favor.”

Tipico, Germany’s leading sports betting provider, welcomes that Erfurt Regional Court (LG Erfurt) has referred additional questions to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding the admissibility of refund claims in online sports betting (Case No. 8 O 515/24). Following the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) referring the matter to the ECJ in July 2024, now another German court is asking the ECJ to clarify key issues related to the player lawsuits.

Clear Rejection of the “Refund Claim” Business Model

Currently 20 referral questions regarding the matter are awaiting clarification by the ECJ. Despite this, specialised litigation firms and litigation funders continue to lure players into their business model, promising unrealistic chances of success while falsely claiming that the relevant legal questions have already been definitively resolved in their favor.

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) had already rejected this view in July 2024 with its referral to the ECJ (ECJ: C-530/24). The recent decision by the Erfurt Regional Court to submit six additional clarifying questions to the ECJ once again makes it clear that the ECJ will have the final say on this matter.

The plaintiffs’ side has attempted to prevent further referrals to the ECJ through motions for bias or venue changes in many cases nationwide. However, despite such delay tactics, the referral to the ECJ is proceeding and will contribute to a comprehensive clarification of the legal situation.

ECJ to Answer Six Additional Questions

The initial referral question from the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) primarily concerned the impact of the ECJ ruling from 2016 in the “Ince” case (C-336/14 – Ince). It seeks to clarify whether that ruling also applies to civil proceedings, such as the present case, in order to maintain the consistency of the legal system.

The Erfurt Regional Court goes much further in its inquiry. The questions focus on the compatibility with the applicable substantive law at the time and delve into the legal situation surrounding sports betting in Germany as an EU member state between 2012 and 2019. The need for clarification in this regard had already been indirectly confirmed by the BGH, which had suspended similar cases involving substantive legal violations.

Matthias Folkmann, spokesperson for the Tipico Group, says: “We welcome the approach taken by the Erfurt Regional Court. It is important that, alongside the BGH, lower courts also refer additional questions to the ECJ, so that the legal situation can be fully clarified and legal certainty can be established. We look forward to this clarification from the ECJ with confidence, as we are sure that the ECJ will rule in our favor, as it did in the past. These ongoing referrals remove the basis for a business model which intrumentalises credulous players.”

* The referral decision by the Erfurt Regional Court, along with a legal analysis of the referral questions by Dr. Ronald Reichert, Tipico’s legal representative, can be found here.

** For more information on the ECJ referral by the BGH in July 2024, please refer to our related press release here.

• Tipico announces agreement to sell its award-winning U.S. platform
• Tipico will wind down its U.S. operations
• Transaction is subject to regulatory and customary approvals

Tipico Group Ltd. today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its product and technology platform constituting the U.S sportsbook and online casino to LeoVegas Group, part of MGM Resorts International. Tipico will wind down its U.S. operations prior to the closing of the acquisition. As part of the transaction, LeoVegas will acquire certain of Tipico U.S. management, technology and trading teams across the US, Colombia, and Europe.

“For five years Tipico Group has heavily invested in the creation of its own proprietary sports betting and gaming platform for the U.S., working with some of the best talent to achieve excellence. On behalf of the board of Tipico Group I want to thank the teams in our U.S. operations for the last years of dedication, innovation and passion, that made our U.S. sportsbook and Online Casino platform the attractive venture it is today.”, says Joachim Baca, CEO of Tipico Group.

Adrian Vella, CEO of Tipico U.S. adds: “After an exciting journey of constant development, progress and unwavering belief in creating an excellent product offering, today marks the start of a new interesting chapter! Tipico has proven in one of the most competitive markets in the world that we can build proprietary technological solutions, whilst running sophisticated lean operations. Our rise from a start-up to an award-winning platform makes me very proud and I want to thank all my team, who made this story possible!”

Moelis & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Tipico Group Ltd. on this transaction.

The transaction is subject to regulatory and customary approvals and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024.

Tipico Group, the leading German sports betting provider, appoints Axel Hefer as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Axel Hefer, who previously served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Tipico, succeeds Joachim Baca. After eight successful years at the helm of the company, Joachim Baca takes over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Under Joachim Baca’s leadership, Tipico has become the undisputed market leader for sports betting in Germany. At the same time the company has established itself as an innovative tech company, setting new standards in terms of product and technology. During this period, Tipico not only experienced strong growth but also developed a recognized brand, implemented modern compliance structures, and was one of the first providers to receive the German sports betting license. Moreover, the company was able to strengthen consumer protection – based on a scientifically sound player protection concept.

As the new CEO, Axel Hefer aims to further enhance Tipico’s product excellence and technology leadership and further drive innovation  to further strengthen Tipico Group’s market-leading position and foster further sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving market environment.

Daniel Pindur, Managing Partner of CVC and former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tipico Group, said, “Over the past eight years, Joachim has done a remarkable job in advancing the development  of Tipico and establishing it as an international sports betting and technology company. We are grateful for his outstanding contributions and are pleased that he will continue to play a key role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. At the same time, we are delighted to have Axel as an experienced strategist and manager on board with Tipico. In his role as COO, Axel has proven he has the capabilities and vision to continue Tipico’s successful trajectory. We look forward to working together.”

Axel Hefer, CEO of Tipico Group, said, ”In recent years, Tipico has evolved from a startup to the definitive market and technology leader in sports betting in Germany. I am eager to continue this success story with the Tipico team and the owners. Together we are committed to providing sports fans with the best and most secure betting experience, extending our market leadership, and achieving additional sustainable growth.”

Joachim Baca, outgoing CEO and incoming Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tipico Group, said, “Leading Tipico on its strong growth path, building structures and expanding the product portfolio has been a great privilege. We have thus set the stage for a prosperous future. I am proud of our collective accomplishments and look forward to remaining a part of the team and continuing to contribute to the ongoing success as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. I would like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues and the owners of Tipico for their trust and the exceptional collaboration.”

Axel Hefer was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Tipico Group in November 2023. In his role as COO, he focused on optimizing structures and processes across the group. He also has extensive experience in advancing dynamic digital companies, particularly in complex environments. Prior to joining Tipico’s Management Board, Axel Hefer spent several years as a successful manager in major German technology companies: most recently as a long-standing member of the Management Board of the travel search engine Trivago and before that as a member of the Management Board of the German online furniture retailer Home24. He gained extensive experience in the private equity sector as Managing Director of One Equity Partners and as Investment Director at Permira Beteiligungs GmbH. Axel started his career as a management consultant at McKinsey in the early 2000s.