German Sports Betting Association Adds Bet-at-Home and Will Hill

One idea of the gambling industry is that they're under constant threat of new regulations and rules from the government. It's not so much that government regulations to keep players safe are a bad thing, but they typically go way behind a reasonable mark and create unfavorable conditions for everyone involved, including the players. To help keep this type of over-regulation from happening, groups like the German Sports Betting Association come together to regulate the industry from the inside to keep things reasonable.

William Hill and Bet-at-Home Join

In a move that's pretty interesting because of the scope of what's involved, both Bet-at-Home and William Hill have joined this German Sports Betting Association. One of the main reasons that they are doing this is because it adds a level of legitimacy to their sponsorships of certain sports teams, and it helps to show that they are trying to keep the industry as clean as possible. Right now, both of these companies are now part of the biggest group in Germany responsible for helping to craft sensible regulations for sports betting and keeping players safe.

The Regulatory Fight

In Europe right now, each individual country regulates things in their own way. Unlike the United States with their ridiculous UIGEA law that attacks the industry in indirect ways, countries like Germany completely regulate certain parts of the industry. This regulation means that the government keeps certain rules in place while protecting the players in exchange for a certain percentage of profits in the form of taxes.

For sports betting in particular, the regulatory fight is a lot different than simpler games like slots and more akin to online poker because of the opportunities for cheating that are involved. With inside information and the possibility to throw games, it's critical that a body like the German Sports Betting Association exists and looks to keep the industry clean.

For both Bet-at-Home and William Hill to join up with this organization, it shows that they are both very serious about keeping the sports betting industry in good shape so that players will have confidence in being able to bet on fair contests without there being any kind of shady issues that come up with match fixing, insider information, etc.