Published on: January 12, 2026, 11:43h.
Updated on: January 12, 2026, 11:50h.
Bonn Court Rules Consumers Can Recover Deposits Exceeding €1,000
Bet3000 Allowed Excess Deposits, Court Mandates Refunds
Decision Intensifies Pressure on Operators to Uphold Germany’s Regulations
A court in Bonn has determined that German gamblers permitted to exceed the nation’s strict €1,000 monthly deposit limit are entitled to reclaim those excess funds. This ruling represents another challenge for operators grappling with increasing legal liability in Europe’s most rigorously governed gambling environment.
The Bonn Regional Court mandated sportsbook Bet3000, alongside its operating company IBA Entertainment, to reimburse a significant portion of a customer’s online betting losses, as the player had been allowed to deposit amounts far above the legal limit.
The anonymous claimant placed sports bets with Bet3000 from November 2019 to April 2022, experiencing a total loss of approximately €16,000, as indicated in court documents.
Stringent Regulations Across Europe
The deposit cap came into effect in July 2021 following the implementation of Germany’s Internet Treaty on Gambling, which revamped the country’s gambling laws to enhance regulatory oversight and minimize risks through a cohesive framework of national protections.
These regulations stand among the strictest in Europe, imposing a €1 maximum bet per spin on online slots, limiting spin speeds to a minimum of five seconds, and prohibiting auto-play and turbo functionalities. The deposit cap applies collectively across all licensed operators and not on a site-by-site basis, necessitating centralized tracking to ensure players do not surpass the limit.
In its verdict, the court separated the issue into two distinct phases: the bets placed before Bet3000 acquired a German sports betting license and those after.
Bet3000 secured regulatory approval for both online and retail sports betting in early November 2020. Consequently, the court ruled that any betting agreements made prior to that date were invalid under German legislation, entitling the claimant to a complete refund of the losses incurred during that timeframe.
However, the claimant was allowed to deposit significantly over the legal limit for several months following Bet3000’s entry into the regulated sector. German legislation mandates that operators must block further deposits once the monthly threshold is met.
“It’s important to emphasize that our client is also eligible to reclaim losses sustained after Bet3000 obtained its license,” explained Thomas Sittner, an attorney at CLLB Rechtsanwälte, representing the claimant. “This is due to the operator contravening the €1,000 monthly deposit limit.”
Clear Regulatory Breaches
The court established that Bet3000 neglected to implement this safeguard, unlawfully allowing deposit limits of up to €30,000 — a blatant infringement of the regulatory framework.
Consequently, the court mandated the refund of losses that exceeded the €1,000 monthly limit, awarding the claimant roughly €12,000.
This ruling continues a trend in which German courts have favored players who faced losses in online gambling, whether due to improper licensing of operators or non-compliance with regulations.