Spielbank Hamburg secures concession with Luther

The Spielbank Hamburg has been one of the leading casinos in Germany since 1977. For the first time, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has put the required licence out to tender throughout Europe in accordance with the provisions of the licensing law. There were delays in the award procedure, which made an interim licence necessary for the continuation of gaming operations from 1 January 2020. Intense competition broke out between the Gauselmann Group and Spielbank Hamburg for the concession and the interim concession.

The Hamburg Higher Regional Court (OLG) rejected two applications for review of the award of the licence by the Gauselmann Group. The interim concession is thus awarded to Spielbank Hamburg. At the same time, however, the competition for the concession for the coming years has ended, as the decision of the awarding authority to exclude the Gauselmann Group from this procedure has also been confirmed by the court.

For Spielbank Hamburg:

Luther, Gambling Law: Dr Thomas Gohrke (Partner, Hanover/Leipzig, lead), Dr Markus Nagel (Senior Associate, both Leipzig)

Luther, Public Procurement Law: Steffen Häberer (Partner, Leipzig)

For the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg:

Oppler Büchner Attorneys at Law: Gritt Diercks-Oppler (Hamburg)

For the Gauselmann Group:

Hengeler Müller: Prof Dr Dirk Uwer (Partner), Dr Susanne Koch (both Düsseldorf)