Is Gambling Legal in Germany ?

Germany regulates gambling under the Interstate Treaty on Gambling of 2021. Since 1 January 2023, cross-state online gambling has been supervised by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), which issues federal licences for virtual slots, online poker, and sports betting to EU/EEA-established companies that meet the required technical, financial, and integrity standards.

Online casino table games fall outside the federal regime and are regulated at the state level, which may either retain a monopoly or grant a limited number of licences tied to their land-based casino rights. The GGL maintains a public whitelist of authorised online operators and enforces strict player-protection rules.

Land-based gambling is likewise a state responsibility, with individual federal states licensing and supervising casinos, slot halls, betting shops, and retail lottery operations.

Online Gambling in Germany

Regulatory Authority	Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
Key legislation	Glücksspielstaatsvertrag (2021) Rennwett- und Lotteriegesetz (2021)
Allowed activities	Sports betting, virtual slot machines, online poker (GGL) Online casino table games only via state-level concessions (not GGL)
Prohibited activities	Among others: operating without a licence/permit using the term ‘Online-Casino’ for virtual slots (reserved for state-licensed table-game offers) failure to connect to LUGAS/OASIS and comply with player-protection measures
Taxation and fees	Sports betting: 5.3% of stakes Virtual slots / Online poker: 5.3% of stakes
Licence validity/duration	Online sports betting, online poker, and virtual slots permits are issued for 5 years on first grant, and 7 years on renewal. The authority may set a shorter term in justified cases Online table-casino games licences vary by state
Benefits of the market	Single online regulator and clear rules Since 1 January 2023, the GGL is the central authority for cross-state online gambling: one point of contact, unified guidance, and a public whitelist create predictable compliance and reduce conduct risk. Stable tax base 5.3% stakes tax across sports betting, virtual slots and online poker (RennwLottG 2021) supports scalability.
SOFTSWISS products compliant	No products available at the moment

Land-Based Gambling in Germany

Key legislation	GlüStV (2021) + state casino laws RennwLottG (2021)
Allowed activities	Among others: licensed casinos (state licences) retail betting shops, lotteries horse-race betting per state/federal rules.
Prohibited activities	Among others: operating without a state permission advertising or consumer-protection breaches
Taxation	Retail/online sports betting stakes: 5.3% (RennwLottG) Lotteries: taxed under RennwLottG; other taxes apply (e.g., VAT/municipal amusement) to terrestrial devices per federal/state regimes.

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