GGL Says 77% of Germany's Online Gambling Market Is Legal

Licensed operators account for approximately 77% of Germany's online gambling market, according to the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder as the regulator reviews its first five years of operation.

The figure comes from a scientific channelisation study commissioned by the GGL and conducted by Blockchain Research Lab. It estimated that regulated products represent 77.03% of the German online market, leaving 22.97% outside the regulated system.

The GGL said the findings broadly support its previous estimates of the illegal market but acknowledged that a significant share of online gambling activity remains outside German regulation.

The regulator was established in July 2021 following the introduction of the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021, which created a common framework for online gambling across Germany's 16 federal states.

Germany Has 129 GGL-Licensed Businesses and 229 Gambling Sites

The GGL currently lists 129 licensed organisers and intermediaries under its supervision.

Together, they operate 229 authorised gambling websites.

During 2025, the regulator conducted more than 600 supervisory procedures involving licensed businesses. Its checks covered areas including player protection, advertising, product configuration and technical or organisational changes at operators.

The GGL said it has revoked two licences since beginning its work.

Germany's LUGAS central supervisory system had 5.3 million registered players in its databases by the end of 2025.

LUGAS provides infrastructure for several elements of Germany's gambling controls and gives the regulator access to data used in market supervision and player protection.

GGL Opened 287 Prohibition Cases in 2025

Enforcement against unlicensed gambling has expanded significantly since the regulator was established.

The number of prohibition proceedings increased from 68 in 2022 to 287 in 2025, more than quadrupling over the period.

Across its first years of operation, the GGL has initiated approximately 700 prohibition proceedings.

By the end of 2025, it had reviewed around 6,300 websites for indications of illegal gambling or advertising connected with unauthorised operators.

The authority increasingly targets businesses surrounding illegal gambling platforms rather than focusing only on the consumer-facing operator. Its enforcement activity now covers payment providers, advertising partners, affiliate networks, hosting companies and other technical infrastructure providers.

1,843 Illegal Websites Became Inaccessible

At the end of 2025, 1,843 illegal gambling websites were no longer accessible from Germany following prohibition procedures or network blocking measures.

The GGL separately reported that 254 illegal operators had stopped making their products available to the German market by the end of the year.

Another 178 websites had lost access to established payment services following action involving payment providers.

The regulator has also expanded enforcement to major digital advertising platforms.

Since September 2024, Google Ads in Germany has only permitted gambling advertising from authorised operators under rules introduced following discussions with the GGL.

For the regulator, targeting advertising, payments, hosting and other infrastructure is intended to increase the cost and difficulty of serving German customers without a local licence.

Scientific Study Puts Illegal Share at 22.97%

The 77.03% channelisation figure comes from research published in March 2026 rather than directly from operator transaction reporting.

Blockchain Research Lab conducted the study for the GGL using a survey of gambling participants and an assessment of the regulated and unregulated online markets.

The research also concluded that the reference-value methodology historically used by German gambling authorities is suitable for estimating the scale of the illegal online market.

The findings are being considered as part of the ongoing evaluation of the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021.

The GGL plans to continue research into channelisation so changes in the regulated and unregulated markets can be measured over time.

GGL Wants More Flexible Gambling Regulation

Despite describing the regulated market as largely established, the authority says Germany's legal framework needs to become more adaptable.

The GGL argues that new gambling products, technical structures and illegal business models can develop within months, while amendments to the interstate gambling treaty can require a much longer political and legislative process.

It wants the current review of GlüStV 2021 to consider greater flexibility and more room for the regulator to respond to market developments within the legal framework.

Reducing the remaining illegal share is still one of its central priorities.

A 77% channelisation rate means most measured online gambling activity takes place through authorised products, but almost one quarter of the market remains outside the regulated system according to the GGL-commissioned study.