Is online gambling legal in Germany?

Licensed sites set a monthly deposit limit that covers all of them together, €1,000 unless an operator approves a higher limit for you, and slot stakes are limited to €1 a spin unless you are 21 or older and the operator offers more (up to €3, or €5 after 90 days). Winnings are not taxed. You can exclude yourself from every licensed site through the national exclusion system, OASIS. Playing at a site without a German licence can be a criminal offence, and players can go to court to try to recover their losses from such sites.

1. 1Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021), current consolidated text, Brandenburgisches Vorschriftensystem (Landesrecht Brandenburg)
2. 2GGL Entscheidungsrichtlinie zur Anpassung des Höchsteinsatzes gemäß § 22a Abs. 7 Satz 2 GlüStV 2021 (Stand 01.07.2026)
3. 3GGL FAQ: Glücksspielarten

You must be 18 to gamble online in Germany, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike.

Private players pay no tax on gambling winnings: German income tax law does not list them as taxable income, and the gambling tax is paid by the operator on stakes. Whether a professional gambler's winnings count as business income was not checked.

The regulator's register lists 73 online licence holders in Germany (checked 5 Nov 2026, no change since 29 Oct 2026).

Always verify a casino holds a valid Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) licence before depositing. Check the official register before signing up.

The official register of licensed sitesGemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)'s website

Prominent operators in Germany

If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.

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  Verify the Operator on the GGL's Official Whitelist

  Before registering, search for the website on the GGL's official whitelist of permitted operators. An operator that offers online slots, poker or sports betting to players in Germany without a permit is offering unlicensed gambling. The list does not name every lawful provider: it omits, for example, amusement-arcade operators, lottery collection points, local betting shops and small lotteries.

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  Look for the Permit Statement on the Start Page

  A permitted operator's start page must state, in a clearly visible place, that taking part under 18 is not allowed and that the operator has a permit and is under the supervision of the authority, with a direct link to that authority. The GGL's own seal is optional. Permitted operators must also be connected to the OASIS exclusion system and the cross-operator deposit-limit file.

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  Check How You Pay

  Payments to and from a licensed operator may only move between your player account and a payment account in your own name at a bank or a payment or e-money institution; anonymous payment means such as prepaid vouchers bought at kiosks are not allowed. Slot stakes and wins must be in euro and cent. The treaty does not mention cryptocurrency, and we found no official statement on crypto deposits.

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  Check for Mandatory Game Restrictions

  A slot game may start only on a fresh declaration by the player (no autoplay button), must last at least five seconds on average, and may not have progressive jackpots. The stake is €1 per game by statute; since 1 July 2026 a licensed operator may voluntarily offer more (up to €3 for players aged 21 or over, up to €5 after a 90-day check, until 31 December 2027), so a stake above €1 alone does not show that a site is unlicensed. Check the operator on the whitelist.

Official changes that affect players, newest first, each with the document it comes from. A change marked not yet in our report is confirmed in the official text but not yet worked into our research report and the answers on this page.

Our daily watch reads the official publishers we follow for Germany. A change is listed once it has been checked against the official document, by a person or, where marked, by our automated check. Dates are the official dates, not the day we found the change.

Official guidance, court decisions and changes to the list of blocked gambling sites in Germany, newest first, each linked to the official text.

Our daily watch reads the official publishers we follow; each item is listed once a person has checked it against the official text, and every sentence is taken from that text. Dates are the official dates where the text gives one, else the day it was published.

• Slot stake: €1 a spin. Up to €3 at 21+, or €5 after a 90-day qualification, where the site offers it (until end-2027) ↗
• Deposit limit: €1,000 a month. One limit across every licensed site ↗
• Panic button: 24-hour lock. One press locks you out of play ↗

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   1. File a Complaint Directly with the Operator

   The usual first step is to raise the issue with the licensed operator. Operators must tell players before play how to lodge a complaint, but the treaty prescribes no complaints procedure, no response deadline and no independent dispute-resolution body.

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   2. Report Regulatory Breaches to the GGL

   If you believe the operator is violating its license terms, you can file a report with the GGL via a form on their website. The GGL will investigate the operator but will not mediate your specific payout dispute.

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   3. Pursue Legal Action

   For unresolved financial disputes, the final step is the German civil court system. This typically requires engaging a lawyer.

• Myth

  Playing on a site with a Malta (MGA) license is legal in Germany because it's in the EU.
  Reality

  A licence from another EU country does not replace a German permit, and on 16 April 2026 the EU's Court of Justice confirmed that Germany may ban online casino and slot games offered without one. Taking part in public gambling without a German permit is a criminal offence for the player (up to six months or a fine), although players can also claim back lost stakes in civil court. The German player protections, such as the OASIS exclusion check and the cross-operator deposit limit, are duties of permit-holders.

• Myth

  My gambling winnings will be taxed at the end of the year.
  Reality

  Mostly false. Private players pay no tax on gambling winnings: German income tax law does not list them as taxable income, and the gambling tax is paid by the operator on stakes. Whether a professional gambler's winnings count as business income was not checked.

• Myth

  The €1,000 deposit limit is per website.
  Reality

  False. The monthly deposit limit is cross-operator: the central limit file (LUGAS) tracks a player's deposits across all permit-holders. €1,000 is the default; until 31 December 2026 a GGL decision rule lets an operator set a higher limit for a player, up to €10,000 on proof of financial capacity and up to €30,000 for at most 1% of its active players aged 21 or over. Operators may not advertise that a higher limit exists.