Germans Pitch Awareness Campaign

The campaign is planned by an Austrian-listed gambling firm. It is times to precede legislative discussions that are vital for the German industry. The discussions involve the prime ministers of the 16 German provinces, who are scheduled to meet on December 13, 2006 to debate the content of the new lottery bill. The bill will now include gambling websites of all kinds, including sports betting.

"This is a common initiative instigated by all the parties that are being damaged by political maneuvers," said Manfred Bodner, co-CEO of the group. The present draft of the lottery bill could face serious obstacles. There is already an infringement procedure, initiated by the European Commission. The group running the campaign will use a range of media and will focus its efforts at the soccer stadiums, where they will advertise the right to bet freely for gamblers that live in Germany.

The slogans to appear on bulletin boards and other promotional material read "Kein Monopol," against the government monopoly and "Freies Wetten," which argues the right to bet freely.

Additional awareness campaigns, according to Bodner, will be launched across Europe through the European Betting Association. This is a very direct way to get the attention of players throughout Germany, and ultimately, throughout the world. With these campaigns, people will have to listen, and so will government officials who deal with decision-making regarding online casinos on a daily basis. How this will affect these officials, and the German public, remains to be seen. In the meantime, the campaign will continue.