Germany Gambling Laws Explained

What LUGAS does

LUGAS includes central systems supporting the cross-provider deposit limit and prevention of simultaneous gambling across connected providers.

Virtual slots have product-specific rules

The GlüStV 2021 sets the standard €1 stake ceiling per virtual-slot game and an average minimum game duration of five seconds, among other restrictions.

“Online casino” is not one universal legal category

Licensing for virtual slots and online poker is not identical to the framework for certain online casino/table games, where state-level rules and authorizations can matter.

Key dates

• 1 July 2021: the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021) came into force. For the first time, virtual slots, online poker and online casino games could be licensed, under strict conditions.
• 1 July 2021: the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) was set up in Halle (Saale) as a joint authority of the 16 states.
• 1 July 2022: the GGL took over supervision of illegal online gambling, payment blocking and IP blocking.
• 1 January 2023: the GGL took on its remaining core tasks, including licensing, supervision of licence holders, LUGAS and the whitelist.

Who licenses what

The GGL issues licences across all states for online poker, virtual slot games, sports betting and online horse betting, among others, and publishes the whitelist of licence holders. Online casino table games, such as roulette and blackjack under § 22c GlüStV 2021, are different: responsibility for them stays with the individual states. That's why the rules and the number of licensed offers for those games can differ from state to state, and why "online casino" isn't one single legal category in Germany.

The player-protection rules in one place

• A deposit limit of, as a rule, no more than €1,000 a month across all providers, monitored through LUGAS.
• No simultaneous play at more than one provider, also enforced through LUGAS.
• On virtual slots: a maximum stake of €1 per spin, an average spin time of at least five seconds and no autoplay.
• OASIS, the central player-exclusion file, which now also covers arcades, pubs and betting shops with gaming machines.

These rules apply to licensed providers. A site without a German licence doesn't apply them and isn't overseen by the GGL.

What this means for you

If a site is on the whitelist for the product you want, you get the protections above and a German regulator if something goes wrong. If it isn't, you are dealing with an operator the GGL considers unauthorised, and the authority works to block such offers and their payment flows. Before signing up anywhere, check the whitelist yourself on the GGL site. This page is a summary, not legal advice, and the official sources take priority.

Advertising and payments

The GGL's remit includes action against advertising for unauthorised online gambling and measures to stop payment flows to unlicensed providers, alongside blocking unauthorised sites. In practice that's why some payment methods may decline transactions with offshore casinos, and why the same brand can appear and disappear from German search results and app stores. If a payment to a casino is blocked, treat that as a signal to check the operator on the whitelist rather than as a technical fault to work around.

Common misunderstandings

• "An EU licence is valid in Germany." It isn't automatically: a Malta licence doesn't replace a GGL permission for virtual slots or online poker.
• "The €1,000 limit is per site." It applies across all licensed providers together.
• "OASIS only covers online casinos." It also covers arcades, pubs and betting shops with gaming machines.

Where to read the rules yourself

The GGL publishes the treaty text, its player FAQs and the whitelist on its website, in German. If you only check one thing, make it the whitelist entry for the exact operator and domain you plan to use.