Only 2 years left for legal online casino and poker activity – Germany

Germany is a country with a fairly specific online gambling regulation compared to other countries of Europe. In January 2025, 16 States (Länder) of the Federal Germany ratified a common treaty on the regulation of online gambling which touch only sport betting, online casino and poker are not yet included. But this treaty was quickly replaced by another one in March 2025 due to an injunction from the European Commission. The first Treaty signed by the Länder was deemed incompatible with many regulations in force in the EU. Despite this new text, playing online is considered as offense by the German Criminal Code.

Today, there are about sixty online poker licenses in Germany, they were granted by the regional government of Schleswig-Holstein. But since the State has signed the “Glücksspielstaatsvertrag” or interstate treaty on the regulation of online gambling, in January of last year, the issuing of new online poker license was suspended. The old licenses remain valid until the expiry of their six years validity. Thus, there is still a two years for poker and online casino operators to exploit the German market. Once this deadline reached, these operators should stop their activities unless a new bill is adopted.

More About admin

View Posts - Visit Website