German Casinos

Germany is a late adopter when it comes to legal remote gambling as it passed legislation to license and regulate online gambling activities in the summer of 2021. House-banked games, peer-to-peer poker and online slots are both regulated under the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021, which also created a licensing system for their legal provision in virtual format. Additionally, this piece of legislation passed on the supervisory responsibilities from the local governments of Germany’s federal states to a newly created regulatory body called the Joint Gambling Authority (GGL).

• History and Legislation
• The Future of Online Gambling
• FAQ

The Halle-based organization is tasked with the oversight of online gambling in the country and ensures compliance with the rules for player protection and responsible gaming. However, few casino operators have ventured into the German market due to harsh and restrictive licensing conditions. With that said, some online casinos continue to service German customers with permits granted from the authorities of other jurisdictions, catering to local players with convenient payment methods that facilitate transactions in EUR. We have compiled a list of the best gambling sites that welcome players from Germany, along with information on the payment methods they support and the most popular games on offer.

History and Legal Landscape of Online Gambling in Germany

Two decades ago, interactive gambling was not regulated in Germany but was proclaimed illegal on the territory of the country after the so-called Interstate Treaty on Gambling or ISTG was officially enforced at the turn of 2008. The said treaty led to German authorities insisting internet providers in the country to block the access of German players to foreign gambling websites. At the same time, the country’s government attempted to prohibit German banking institutions from processing transactions to and from gambling-related websites.

At the beginning, all 16 federal states in Germany agreed to sign the Interstate Treaty. However, since gambling-related activities in Germany are regulated on a state level, there was one state, Schleswig-Holstein, that decided in favor of opting out of the treaty as of 2012. After leaving the treaty, the state succeeded in creating its own legislature regarding gambling on the internet.

This resulted in Schleswig-Holstein issuing licenses to over thirty online gambling websites, where all German players (i.e. not only residents of this particular state) were allowed to register and bet at. Some of the foreign operators to receive licenses from the state were big players in the online gambling industry like PokerStars, Betfair, bet365, and 888casino. Unfortunately, German residents were not able to enjoy playing at the licensed websites for too long since the licenses granted by Schleswig-Holstein were revoked the very next year. After Schleswig-Holstein’s state government was voted out of office, a new governor was chosen and things took a turn for the worse.

Fortunately, the online gambling operators that had already obtained licenses from the old governance of the state were allowed to keep them until they expire in the beginning of 2018. While the licenses are still valid, the foreign operators are permitted to provide interactive casino games and poker only to players residing within the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Presently, there is no way for other online gambling operators to receive licenses allowing them to provide interactive casino games to German players.

However, this by no means prevents Germans from partaking in gambling activities at the websites of operators that are regulated outside the country. As was mentioned earlier, a good number of licensed and trustworthy web-based gaming providers are more than willing to accept registrations from customers whose permanent domicile is Germany. More importantly, there are no known cases of players facing fines or persecution for betting online at offshore gaming websites.

The good news is many renowned and well-known gambling websites in this industry try to further the convenience and flexibility of their players, and Germans are not excluded, either. Established online casinos typically allow deposits and withdrawals to be processed in a variety of currencies and the EUR is also present among the accepted options. More importantly, German players are able to choose from a range of secure methods of payment, including the online banking service Giropay that is reserved exclusively for customers holding bank accounts with participating German (or Austrian) financial institutions.

The Future of Online Gambling in Germany

Germany has been rebuked by the European Union for its rigid laws regarding online gambling. According to the EU, the course the country has taken is in violation of the established rules the Union has set for competition and free trading. Things got rather heated when in February 2016, the European Court of Justice pronounced the current online gambling laws in Germany were “illegal” due to their very restrictive nature.

The ruling of the European Court of Justice prohibited the country from penalizing or even restricting the access to the websites of foreign gambling operators that accept players from Germany due to the fact that it was the German legislation that has made it impossible for these operators to apply for and therefore, obtain licenses to legally provide their services.

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time German authorities face legal actions because of their stringent stance on online gambling. The Austrian company Bwin Interactive which owns and operates the online poker platform partypoker attempted to sue the state twice but to no avail. This was followed by Bwin trying to appeal the case to the German Supreme Court with the argument that Germany should comply with the existing laws of the European Union, which all other member states are expected to follow. Things were eventually settled in favor of the gambling provider.

As the licenses issued by Schleswig-Holstein are about to expire in the beginning of 2018, the German lawmakers have already proposed various changes to be made to the current online gambling legislation so that it can comply with the rules the European Union has set forth. Some of these amendments include issuing sports betting concessions for over thirty online operators that meet the outlined criteria for a concession.

Most of the proposed changes have to do with sports betting in the country but nevertheless, this might be interpreted as a good sign that amendments are soon to be made to the legislation, concerning virtual casino games as well. If accepted, the changes are expected to come into force no sooner than the beginning of 2018. Meanwhile, German casino enthusiasts have no other option but to keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Important Update

The German government moved forward to regulate online gambling a couple of years ago with the passage of the new Interstate Treaty 2021. This piece of legislation created a licensing framework for the provision of online slots and led to the establishment of a central regulatory body tasked with their oversight.

Most other federal states either do not regulate online table games or impose monopolies on their provision. As a result, German players commonly resort to offshore gambling sites where they face a considerably greater diversity of blackjack, roulette, poker, and baccarat variations, including live games run by professionally trained dealers.

Most Popular Online Casinos in Germany

Despite the harsh regulatory climate in the country, some gambling operators still accept real-money bets from German players. Here at Casino Games Pro, we have curated a list of the best German-friendly gambling sites on the internet after conducting meticulous research into all key aspects of their operations.

We have considered multiple benchmark factors like the brands’ overall reputation, withdrawal speed, game diversity, and range of supported deposit methods. Our top picks have achieved the highest average scores overall and are largely regarded as the best choices currently available to German players.

German Casinos FAQs

Deposit Methods for German Casino Players

German players face no shortage of reliable payment methods to deposit with at online casinos that take real-money wagers from the country. Online bank transfers remain the most popular solution for gambling-related transactions in Germany, with third-party gateways like Klarna, Giropay, and Trustly being listed in the cashiers of all reputable casinos catering to the local market. Credit/debit cards are also frequently used for casino deposits and so are digital wallets and prepaid solutions like Paysafecard.

Giropay

Giropay enables German players to process secure and easy money transfers in real-time directly from their online banking accounts. The platform is implemented by approximately 18% of all Germans who make borderless payments, which speaks volumes about its popularity in the country. The Giropay system has been on the scene for nearly twenty years and is basically the German equivalent of Austria’s EPS (short for Electronic Payment Standard).

Giropay is essentially a gateway between players and their banks as transactions take place within the secure online banking portals of partnering financial institutions. And yes, you do need an online banking account to deposit with this payment processor.

The good news is Giropay has been integrated by more than 1,500 financial institutions across the country, so the odds of finding your bank on the list are quite decent. Owning a credit card is not a prerequisite to using Giropay as the deposited funds come directly from your bank account. The Giropay system is incredibly secure and user-friendly as depositing involves a few quick steps only.

To initiate the deposit process, you must log into your casino account, load the cashier system, tap on Giropay, and type in your preferred deposit amount (€10 is generally the minimum). Once you hit the deposit button, the casino’s cashier system will redirect you to the secure portal of your bank where you must authenticate the money transfer after logging in with online banking credentials. The deposit will reflect in your casino balance immediately. We should warn you, though, that not all German-friendly gambling sites return winnings via this payment solution, so we recommend you consider an alternative withdrawal method.

Credit and Debit Cards

Credit and debit cards are also commonly implemented by Germans who gamble online for real money. Then again, this is unsurprising considering 53% of the country’s population owns credit cards by popular brands like Diners Club, Visa, American Express, or Mastercard. Cards are the preferred method of choice of many local players as they facilitate instant deposits at a low cost. On the downside, card users have no other choice but to submit sensitive information during the deposit process, including the card’s number and expiry date.

While some players may be unreluctant to provide their financial data, the best German-friendly online casinos take all the necessary precautionary measures to protect the card transactions of their customers. Bank-level encryptions and firewalls are always in place to safeguard payment information and prevent it from being intercepted.

Another peculiarity here is that German gamblers can only deposit with cards they own, i.e. the cards must be registered in their name. They can conveniently pull money from their casino balance as well, which is another advantage credit and debit cards offer. Minimum card deposits normally average €10, whereas the ceiling varies based on which German casino one gambles with.

Skrill

Skrill is a robust digital wallet platform available to payees from over 100 countries, including Germany. It is enormously popular among casino players from the country as it works for deposits as well as for withdrawals, both of which come at no additional cost for gamblers. Apart from free and instant transactions, Skrill allows for higher levels of anonymity and security. Transactions are initiated with one’s Skrill login credentials (email and password) without requiring users to reveal their personal payment information.

In this vein, we should warn potential Skrill users from Germany that registering an account is necessary to implement the method for online casino deposits. Once they complete the registration process, players are recommended to verify their accounts to increase their transaction limits. Skrill users must then add funds to the balance of their e-wallets before they can initiate casino deposits. Various top-up options are available, including credit/debit cards, rapid bank transfers, Sofort/Klarna, Trustly, and Paysafecard, to list a few.

Card deposits are the quickest way to fund your wallet’s balance. Skrill users can choose whether they wish to use their balance for online gambling purposes each time they top up their e-wallets. The method is incredibly convenient, not to mention you can deposit and withdraw as little as €10 at most Skrill casinos that accept real-money play from Germany. The only drawback associated with using this method is that Skrill deposits are sometimes disqualified from redeeming welcome bonuses.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is a popular prepaid solution supported for deposits at most German-friendly online casinos. This is basically a voucher available in different denominations (€10, €15, €20, €25, €30, €50, and €100) that facilitates convenient and secure payments without requiring the disclosure of any sensitive banking information. Vouchers are available for sale in hundreds of retail outlets, although purchasing them online is the more convenient option.

When depositing, a player must type in the 16-digit code of their voucher, select their preferred deposit amount, and confirm the transaction. Combining the balance of several vouchers is an option for gamblers looking to transfer larger amounts to their casino accounts. With this in mind, Paysafecard has considerably lower transaction limits compared to other methods, allowing players to transfer no more than €1,000 at a time.

This higher limit applies to gamblers with registered myPaysafecard accounts. Unregistered users from Germany can deposit no more than €50 per transaction. As for minimum deposits, they normally start at €10 at most online casinos that welcome real-money play from the Federal Republic. Withdrawals with this prepaid method also require a myPaysafe account. Once the funds hit their Paysafe balance, players can use them to make another casino deposit.

Popular Games and Live Dealer Solutions

German-friendly gambling sites tend to partner with the best software brands in the industry to deliver a varied first-class experience to players from the country. Pragmatic Play, Elk Studios, Red Rake, Play’n GO, Red Tiger, Merkur, and Amatic Industries are prominently featured in the slot portfolios of German casinos. Most peer-to-peer poker providers licensed in the country use proprietary software platforms, however, with PokerStars, and Partipoker serving as notable examples.

At the time of publication, most locally licensed casinos are authorized to offer only slot games in the country but there are exceptions, as you will see shortly. German players can make a pick from a rich assortment of slots, including classic fruit releases that play on three reels only. Video slots are also available in spades at authorized gambling sites. Releases that use the Megaways payout mechanic enjoy a particularly high popularity among players from the country.

German reel spinners will benefit from a rich assortment of special features, including free spins, bonus games, scatters, walking and expanding wilds, and more. A versatile range of themes are incorporated into the slot games to ensure every player finds a little something that fits their preferences. From fairy tales and mythology to branded releases based on popular television series and films, there is no shortage of excitement in store for fans of the slot genre.

All games are provenly fair, certified, and regularly audited by reputable third-party testing agencies like eCOGRA and iTechLabs, among others. This ensures equal winning opportunities for all German players and guarantees the outcomes are completely unpredictable. All German-friendly casinos are compatible with mobile devices, allowing smartphone players to access their catalogs either via native downloadable applications or through their mobile browsers via web apps.