The European Commission has told German regions to reconsider plans to ban online gambling or face possible legal action.
Guenter Verheugen, EU Industry Commissioner, wrote to German regional state governments on Friday, and gave them a deadline – one month - to revise the draft legislation on the issue.
The warning follows the EU's criticism of other European countries, such as Finland, Denmark and Hungary, for not allowing foreign betting companies from doing business in the countries, and keeping gambling a state-controlled monopoly.
The German states' plans were inconsistent. They banned lotteries, sports betting and online gambling, but allowed horse racing.
Among the companies that will benefit from the cancellation of the German gambling ban are mostly British firms Ladbrokes, Stanley Leisure and Unibet, and Austrian operators Betandwin.com and mostly Bwin, since Germany is its biggest market.
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