Online gambling regulation in Germany

Prohibited. GlüStV 2021 provision banning advertising and sponsoring for unauthorised gambling (reported as Section 5(7)); prohibition orders against advertising unlawful gambling under enforcement clause.

Advertising and sponsorship for unlawful / unlicensed gambling and its promotion are explicitly prohibited at treaty level; GGL enforces against operators and advertisers.

Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States) — www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de

State Treaty on the New Regulation of Gambling in Germany 2021 (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 / GlüStV 2021)

Online casino: Licensed. Online sports betting: Licensed.

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators. Official GGL whitelist of all operators and intermediaries licensed under GlüStV 2021, searchable by product type and domain.

https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/uebersicht-erlaubter-anbieter-whitelist

• Prohibition orders against illegal operators and advertisers under GlüStV 2021
• Payment blocking orders against payment service providers processing unlicensed gambling payments
• Orders to hosting and other intermediary service providers; DSA-based geo-blocking measures
• Planned but not yet applied ISP/domain blocking powers pending full ratification and implementation

• Advertising and sponsorship for unauthorised gambling and its promotion are prohibited
• Internet, TV and radio advertising for virtual slots, online casino and online poker only 21:00–06:00
• Advertising must not be misleading, exaggerate winning chances or resemble editorial content
• Event-specific sports betting ads banned immediately before and during the live broadcast of that event

• Federal Administrative Court ruled March 2025 that previous IP-blocking orders under GlüStV lacked legal basis, triggering a legislative fix
• Second amendment treaty to introduce explicit ISP/registrar blocking approved by interior ministers June 2025; as of August 2026 still not fully ratified, no orders issued
• By 2025–2026 GGL scaled host-provider and payment enforcement; thousands of illegal sites geo-blocked and 40+ payment providers ordered to cut unlicensed slots

• Exact GlüStV 2021 section numbers for advertising bans on unauthorised gambling (likely Section 5(7)) not independently verified in official German publication
• Exact numbering and wording of GlüStV 2021 provisions granting payment-blocking and IP/ISP blocking powers (cited as Section 9(1) sentence 3 nos. 4–5) taken from secondary sources
• Whether all German Länder have completed ratification of the second amendment treaty enabling ISP/registrar blocking after August 2026 not confirmed
• Criminal law qualification and sanctions for serious illegal online gambling or advertising beyond administrative fines not checked in the Strafgesetzbuch or state implementing acts
• Whether paid mystery/loot boxes are treated as gambling or consumer products in Germany.
• Whether sweepstakes/social casino dual-currency products are specifically regulated or prohibited in Germany.
• Whether real-money prediction markets are treated as gambling or as financial derivatives in Germany.
• Whether any specific online poker operator licences are currently active in Germany as of 2026.

1. voelker-gruppe.com/en/expertise/ip-it-stuttgart/articles/gluecksspiel-im-internet-und-der-neue-gluecksspielstaatsvertrag-2021
2. lxgesetze.de/gl%C3%BCstv-2021/5
3. gamblingcompliance.vixio.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/State%20Treaty%20on%20the%20New%20Regulation%20of%20Gambling%20in%20Germany-unofficial%20English%20translation.pdf
4. lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=17fab563-49b4-4fc7-9ff3-94addbdb1eca
5. legal500.com/guides/chapter/germany-gambling-law/?export-pdf
6. gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/uebersicht-erlaubter-anbieter-whitelist
7. igamingpaymentsolutions.com/markets/germany
8. igamingsupershow.com/regulation/tracker/germany
9. iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/germany
10. evz.de/en/topics/internet-shopping/online-gambling/
11. worldpokerdeals.com/blog/germany-legalized-online-poker
12. somuchpoker.com/poker-guides/europe/germany
13. softswiss.com/gambling-regulation-map/germany/
14. cms.law/en/int/expert-guides/cms-expert-guide-to-online-gambling-regulation-in-europe/germany
15. practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/comparison/953/17711/27682-27683-27684-27685-27686-27687-27688-27689-27690-27691-27692-27693
16. practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/gaming-law-2025/germany
17. freshfields.com/en/our-thinking/blogs/risk-and-compliance/prediction-markets-and-event-contracts-in-germany-at-the-crossroads-between-gamb-102o15o
18. cryptoticker.io/en/polymarket-esma-eu-authorisation/
19. startpolymarket.com/countries/germany/
20. cryptoticker.io/es/polymarket-esma-autorizacion-ue/
21. predictionmarketsindex.com/legality/germany/
22. teltarif.de/en/lootboxen-gaming-abzocke-vzbv/news/105719.html
23. betterchecked.com/review/earnlab-test-review
24. blog.empiredrop.com/mystery-box-laws-by-country-where-are-they-legal/
25. track360.io/blog/mystery-box-gambling-or-shopping-operator-compliance-guide
26. gamesmarket.global/landmark-ruling-will-loot-boxes-soon-be-history-in-the-german-speaking-world-a1867a8a4804097f93bb341f615b50ed/

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.