Germany approves new online gambling regulations

Sam Gascoyne
by Sam Gascoyne Last updated:

A photo of the German flag

Sweeping changes to the German betting landscape

After years of uncertainty and confusion German lawmakers have officially approved new gambling regulations that will see both online poker and casinos legalised from the 1st July 2021. 

Whilst things are moving forward in the right direction, each of the German state parliaments still must ratify the Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStv) bill and be submitted to the European Commission for approval before it can be brought into effect. 

Who will regulate the German betting market? 

The new German betting market for online poker and casinos will be overseen by a brand new regulatory authority that has been established through the GlüNeuRStV.

Several states have expressed an interest in hosting the new regulator body including Schleswig-Holstein, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse.

Before the GlüNeuRStV does comes into practice, the current third State Treaty will remain in place, meaning that the German market is limited to just online betting until 30 June 2021.

Restrictions placed on betting

While sports betting, online poker and casino games including online slots will all be legally permitted in Germany, legal sources have stated that they can only be offered with significant restrictions.

It has been slot games that have seen the biggest change, as players will only be able to set the maximum limit on their spins to €1 a spin. There will also be no autoplay function on any games nor will jackpot slots be allowed. 

In more general terms the mandatory maximum deposit limit will remain at €1000 for all online casino players and operators are not allowed to advertise between the hours 6am and 9pm.

For those who wish to partake in sports betting, punters will only able to bet on the full time result or next goal scorer, no other markets will be available. 

Still a bright future ahead for German punters

Despite sweeping changes ahead of us we're still thoroughly expecting the no wagering casino to flourish, as long as their are casinos available to players there'll be wager-free spins and fair and transparent no wagering casino bonuses to enjoy.