Germany — Gambling Regulation
Re-regulated by the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021): virtual slots and online poker are federally licensable, online table games remain a Länder matter, and the GGL supervises the market with strict player-protection tooling.
Legal status by vertical
| Vertical | Status | Since | Tax / basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online casino | Regulated | 2021 | 5.3% on stakes (virtual slot machines) |
| Sports betting | Regulated | 2021 | 5.3% on stakes |
| Poker | Regulated | 2021 | 5.3% on stakes |
| Lottery | State Monopoly | — | State lottery companies (Deutscher Lotto- und Totoblock) |
'Virtuelle Automatenspiele' licensable nationwide; €1 per-spin stake limit; online table games (e.g. blackjack, roulette) are reserved to the Länder and only available where an individual federal state has issued its own concession.
Licensed federally; in-play restricted to final result / next scorer markets.
The GlüStV 2021 settlement
Germany licensed late and on its own terms. The Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 — the interstate treaty signed by all sixteen Länder — made virtual slot machines, online poker and sports betting licensable nationwide for the first time, while reserving online table games such as blackjack and roulette to the individual Länder, where they are available only under a Land's own concession. The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) in Halle (Saale) has supervised the market with full powers since January 1, 2023.
The treaty wrote player protection into the product itself: a €1 per-spin stake limit on virtual slots, a cross-operator deposit default of €1,000 per month enforced through the LUGAS activity file, and mandatory checks against OASIS, the nationwide self-exclusion register. In-play betting is restricted to final-result and next-scorer markets.
The stakes-tax experiment
Germany taxes turnover, not revenue: 5.3% on stakes for virtual slots, online poker and sports betting alike. Because the levy applies to every euro wagered rather than to the operator's margin, its effective burden on gross gaming revenue is far higher than the headline suggests — a design that compresses payout rates and is the standard explanation for the channelling gap between licensed German sites and the offshore market.
Lotteries remain where they have always been: with the Land lottery companies of the Deutscher Lotto- und Totoblock, a state monopoly the treaty never opened. The German question — how much friction a licensed market can carry before players drift offshore — remains the live one, and the GGL's enforcement programme against unlicensed operators is the other half of the answer.
Key facts
- GGL fully operational since January 1, 2023 (Halle/Saale)
- LUGAS cross-operator activity file enforces the €1,000/month default deposit limit
- OASIS is the nationwide self-exclusion register, mandatory for all licensees
Frequently asked questions
Is online casino legal in Germany?
Who regulates online gambling in Germany?
What is the online gambling tax rate in Germany?
Is online sports betting legal in Germany?
Can private operators run lotteries in Germany?
- Staatsvertrag zur Neuregulierung des Glücksspielwesens in Deutschland (GlüStV 2021) — gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) — gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de