Hesse will soon have its own online casino?
The city of Kassel is planning an online casino game together with partners to curb illegal gambling. The idea is to set up a joint venture with Wiesbaden, the casino operating companies in both cities and Lotto Hessen. According to HNA information, this would cost around 150.000 euros to develop a business model, with the city of Kassel having to invest 30.000 euros. However, there is criticism of the project, as addiction experts doubt the benefits of the project and think it makes more sense to take a tougher stance illegal gambling offers proceed.
City Treasurer Matthias Nölke defends the plans and emphasizes the importance of a platform for limited, orderly and monitored online casino gaming in compliance with youth and player protection. This is a reaction to the increase in illegal gambling offers and corresponds to the State Treaty on Gambling. However, critics such as the Kassel Left call the project a “crazy idea” and point to the high addictive potential of online gambling.
Matthias Nölke, head of the economic department, considers the financial risk to be low and points out that the establishment of the joint venture would not entail high costs. The income from gambling is considerable, and the state of Hesse has earned millions from online gambling in recent years.
Online casino gambling addiction is considered a serious problem as gambling has increasingly moved digitally. The planning for the project is currently being coordinated with the partners involved, with the aim of making a contribution to youth and player protection and combating crime. Nevertheless, there is clear criticism of the plans from the opposition, as they emphasize the negative effects of gambling addiction and question the city's priority.
