Execution Pokerstars. Apparently, payment is not voluntary (page 135)

Why was it postponed again?! Does anyone even realize this? Didn't it happen with another hearing too?

https://www.staudt.law/news/eugh-sportwetten-tipico-schlussantrag-c-530-24

I simply hope that the Advocate General will put a stop to the casinos' obfuscation practices in this Tipico example, and that's why he needs more time; otherwise, it hardly makes sense to me.

I have 15k with Bet365, of which I probably won't see much.

45k Pokerstars, which also seems totally unsafe, and then Tipico with 35k, which I considered a safe haven a month ago.

Should Tipico really try to wriggle out of it, the German authorities would have to close all Tipico branches; anyone who shirks responsibility should have their license revoked.

This stupid Bill 55 law, I hope the person who came up with this idea dies a painful death, the ECJ should in future decide based on urgency and be allowed to issue preliminary rulings...

One really starts to lose hope; I'd be interested to know if litigation funders would still finance Tipico cases if one were to file a lawsuit today.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mD99DrXnK7I#

New video and I think we'll have a comparison in video 2 😕

It's so quiet here... Hope you all had a good New Year's Eve. Let's see what the year brings. Hopefully something positive at last. Best regards

I think this is the calm before the final submissions on February 5, 2026, in case C-530/24; there haven't been any further developments in the meantime. The courts and lawyers are also in vacation mode 😀

@edondoko - you mentioned you were preparing letters for Curacao casinos. How have things been going for you with Stake so far? I wouldn't necessarily send you all my documents right now; it's just too sensitive (I think that's understandable).

I do have some letters from my lawyer that were sent to another Curacao casino back then. In the end, money did change hands. However, only after a lawsuit was filed. Therefore, it would be interesting to know if a correspondingly low offer (40-60%) at Stake could achieve anything even without a lawyer, provided the letter is well-founded and thoughtfully structured. All the Malta cases are dragging on for so long that I would only consider Stake as "pocket money," assuming an out-of-court settlement is reached quickly and a payout occurs. I simply don't have the patience to let years go by again.

What's your situation regarding stakes?

Does anyone know why Maltese courts are invoking Bill 55 in judgments that became final before Bill 55 came into force? Can this law be applied retroactively?

The law only prevents execution, since the judgments are not recognized.

The date of the verdict is therefore irrelevant in my opinion. Even if you had one from 2020 sitting in a drawer and only wanted to execute it now.

Did you accept the comparison?

https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20260115_OTS0060/eugh-urteil-persoenliche-haftung-von-geschaeftsfuehrerinnen-illegaler-online-casinos-nach-oesterreichischem-recht-zu-beurteilen

Yes, that's good for us, but it doesn't change anything. No money will change hands. However PokerStars manages to spin this.

Yes, for me it's not PokerStars.

Having been a silent reader for years, I wanted to finally speak up while we all wait for something to happen.

I started the repayment claims almost 2.5 years ago.

Status:

bwin settlement (loss amount was in the low 5-figure range) after filing a lawsuit

Interwetten comparison (loss amount also low 5 figures)

PokerStars – My case is currently "on hold" with the PKF, meaning it hasn't even been filed yet, because they're waiting to see how the test cases progress. It's rather annoying, as this is where my biggest claim lies (a mid-five-figure sum).

b365 - won the lawsuit and appeal, since then radio silence and no payment. Low five-figure sum.

Since I come from Austria and sports betting is not legally enforceable, they've all earned more than enough from me anyway.

Stake – I simply sent a letter by hand and will see if I get a reply; otherwise, I'll go back to PKF. I'm not really expecting anything without PKF, but it doesn't hurt to try. Loss amount is in the lower five-figure range.

What annoys me most is that no payment is being made despite a court ruling – if I had lost, my legal insurance would have had to pay their legal fees too… Simply ignoring valid case law is incredibly arrogant.

Even the initial promises from PKF that it would be resolved "within months" are, in retrospect, very annoying. Yes, things went relatively quickly with bwin and IW, but I wonder if it couldn't have been done without PKF taking a 35% cut or so... Oh well, better to get a little back than nothing at all.

At the end of the day, I've gambled away the money myself, and if I get anything back, it's just a bonus, but the hope for it often hurts a little - because the mid-five-figure sums would mean a lot.

Anyway, it's a matter of waiting and seeing. I just wanted to share my experience, for statistical purposes.

Have you received a response from Stake yet?

I suppose you're not allowed to reveal any details about your comparisons, right? I'd be interested to know roughly what percentage range we're talking about. You often hear about ridiculously low offers like 10-15% (it's happened to me too).

You can forget about stakes by now.

I filed a lawsuit a year ago and the lawyers or the courts are having problems serving the lawsuit; I've already tried three times without success.

I wrote an email and they are not willing to compare.

My caseworker informed me that it could take a long time, but they will still finance the case.

I also wrote to Lottoland and threatened them with a lawsuit from the managing director, even though there is already a ruling from the ECJ.

They replied that they stand by their statement from back then, that they are in the right, and guarantee me that it is not illegal.

Simply criminal

At least someone is funding it. It seems this only works in Austria? I haven't found any private health insurance in Germany for cases from Curaçao. Presumably because it's too complex and expensive? I'll see if I can get something started this year.

I have to admit that the Curacao casinos are definitely benefiting from Bill55's actions, as my Malta lawsuits have been dragging on for over three years now, and I'm really losing the desire to open up another mess like that. Especially since no money has come from these cases yet. If that were the case, I wouldn't have a problem throwing some of it at the Curacao lawsuits 😅

When did you compare with interviews? How high?

I already have a judgment against this provider, but they're ignoring it just the same now…

They haven't paid any judgments since summer, and they offer settlements with outrageously low conditions.

IW and bwin were about 2 years ago, that went relatively quickly.

Comparisons were at 75-85 percent, and since the sums involved weren't that high and a few percent difference only amounted to a few hundred euros, I accepted that.

Stake hasn't responded yet, and I'm not expecting one. I'll give the end of the month to the PKF (Private Health Insurance Fund), and then it'll just take some time. The money's already lost, so things can only get better from here. 🙂

It's a joke what goes on – court cases, appeals, etc., just to then not pay. The lawyers are happy, they'll get paid one way or another…

Thanks for your answer 👌 Does "two years ago" mean while Bill was already active (June 2023)?

If so, it would be truly astonishing that such high settlements were offered. However, in Bwin's case, it could also be because they don't take such a strict stance in Austria (https://www.spielerhilfe.at/wie-bwin-seine-spieler-mit-sofortzahlungen-abfertigt/).

For Germany, I can say: Bwin has been running for 3 years, endless interest payments, final judgment is pending (no date yet for the final instance) and no movement whatsoever in the form of a settlement.

They should really think carefully about what they're offering by now. If they were just waiting for this and now realize that the European Court of Justice is paving the way and they want to get away with low settlements, I wouldn't accept that anymore. It's better to go through with it and collect the interest. With Bwin, I'm pretty sure that, due to their size and complex relationships, they can't just wriggle out of it like Platincasino or similar companies.

But first, let's wait and see what happens in the next few weeks.

Quick update on Stake:

Of course, the response was a standard, run-of-the-mill answer stating that the Terms of Service state that the player is responsible for ensuring that they are allowed to play, blah blah blah.

I gave it to the PKF (Private Health Fund) – so it'll be a long road, and I'll take a cut of the money if it's successful, but I won't have to worry about anything else. Let's see how many years it takes 🙂