PayPal will stop providing payment services for German online gambling players, the e-wallet giant revealed last week. German PayPal users who have their PayPal accounts linked to online casinos will find that from October 21 they will no longer be able to transact between the two in either direction. The news emerged after PayPal Germany changed their terms and conditions to revoke usage with online casinos, leaving users to find alternative methods of funding their accounts.

Did You Know?
PayPal updated its list of prohibited activities in Germany to include “offers that are not legal in your respective whereabouts, including some online gambling offers.” The new policy will go into effect 21 October.
Bad news for #poker #pokeronline #onlinepoker

— ProfRBcom (@ProfRBcom) August 23, 2019

PayPal Writes Another Chapter

The decision to ban German PayPal users from online casinos stems from a recent government edict to enact stricter controls on online casino play and is another chapter in the long and complex history of the legality of gambling in Germany. Gambling was illegal in Germany between 2008 and 2012 except for one state, Schleswig-Holstein. After 2012 new rules were introduced in an effort to open up the market but with strict licensing and regulations, with internet gaming regulated on a state-by-state basis, much like in the US. This has led to confusion among the online casino customer base who often aren’t sure of the rules and how to apply them.

Glimmer of Hope for Players

There are hopes that online casino regulations will soon move from a fragmented state-by-state system to a national one, with Schleswig-Holstein already working on a new Gaming Bill in an effort to simplify online gaming operations. Federal states have also been working on an attempt to come up with a way to do better manage online gambling, but whatever happens with the new legislation it seems that it won’t involve PayPal, at least in the short term.