German Sports Betting

Sports betting in Germany is primarily made up of state-run monopolies, but there are private operators as well. In addition to betting shops, sports betting is offered online, but was discontinued in 2009 because of an online gaming ban. Online sports betting, along with limited online casino gambling, resumed in 2012, once the Interstate Treaty on Gambling went into effect in July 2012.

In 2006, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany declared that state betting monopolies were unconstitutional, forcing the states to decide between signing the Interstate Treaty and opening the betting market to competition.

In December 2007, the 16 German states voted to keep the state-run monopolies and accepted the Interstate Treaty, which imposed a monopoly on lotteries and sports betting until 2012, but forbade German citizens from gambling online and blocked financial transactions from gambling sites.

In 2012, once the treaty went into effect, the German government made 20 sports betting licenses available to prospective bidders. A license allows a prospective operator to run betting shops. The actual number of venues is determined by the states where the shops are located. Sports betting providers are prohibited from operating online or land-based casinos or poker rooms.

In July 2019, it was announced that operators looking to secure a sports betting licence for the federal German market must commit to cease offering all illegal forms of gambling, such as online casino, according to a new directive from the body responsible for processing applications. The Regional Council of Darmstadt, representing the state of Hesse, has ordered all licensees to agree that not to offer unregulated forms of gambling, either directly or through an affiliated business, upon receipt of a sports betting licence.