Germany
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder
Germany’s single federal gambling regulator since 2023 — young by regulatory standards, but backed by one of the largest mandatory security deposits in the industry.
Official regulator site →0
Operators we track here
Top-tier regulator
Regulatory tier
Germany
Jurisdiction
October 2026
Page last reviewed
Operators Licensed by Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder
Every brand below has an active licence from Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder confirmed in our own records — sorted by AskBigBonus Trust Index.
What Is Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder?
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) — the Joint Gambling Authority of the [German] Federal States — is Germany’s central regulator for nationwide online gambling licences, based in Halle (Saale). It became fully operational in 2023 under the 2021 Gambling State Treaty (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag), replacing a patchwork of individual state-level oversight with one federal licensing body for cross-border online offerings.
The GGL directly licenses online sports betting, virtual slot machines, online poker, and online horse-race betting nationwide. Online casino table games such as roulette, blackjack, and live-dealer formats are, unusually, still overseen at the individual Länder (state) level rather than by the GGL itself.
History & Background
Germany’s 2021 Gambling State Treaty created the legal basis for the GGL, which began operating on 1 January 2023 — making it one of the newest of the "top-tier" national regulators on this page, though backed by long-standing German administrative law and statutory authority.
Licence Types
Online sports betting licence
Covers fixed-odds sports and event betting offered online across Germany.
Virtual slot machine licence
Covers online slot games specifically — a separately licensed product under German law.
Online poker licence
Covers online poker offered to German players.
Online horse-race betting licence
Covers pool and fixed-odds betting on horse racing offered online.
Licensing Requirements
- Licensees must demonstrate financial stability, including a reported minimum security deposit in the region of €5 million, and maintain a physical office presence in the EU or EEA.
- Operators must integrate with Germany’s national player-protection databases, covering self-exclusion, cross-operator deposit-limit tracking, and activity monitoring, as a mandatory technical requirement rather than an optional feature.
- Since January 2024 the GGL has actively expanded enforcement — running compliance inspections, issuing prohibition orders against unlicensed operators, and working directly with payment providers to restrict transactions to illegal sites.
Player Protections
- A nationwide, cross-operator deposit-limit system is mandatory: German-licensed operators must check a player’s activity against limits that apply across every licensed site, not just their own.
- Self-exclusion is integrated at the national database level rather than left to each operator to implement independently.
- The GGL publishes and actively enforces prohibition orders against unlicensed operators, including working with payment providers to cut off transactions to illegal sites.
How to Verify a Licence from Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder
- 01Check an operator’s licence status directly through the GGL’s own public information at gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, since this is a newer regulator and third-party licence databases can lag.
- 02Remember that German online casino table games (roulette, blackjack, live dealer) are licensed at the state level, not by the GGL — a GGL sports-betting or slots licence doesn’t automatically cover those products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a GGL licence cover online casino games like roulette and blackjack?
Not directly. The GGL licenses online sports betting, virtual slots, online poker, and horse-race betting nationwide. Online casino table games such as roulette, blackjack, and live-dealer formats are still regulated at the individual German state (Länder) level, so a GGL licence alone doesn’t confirm authorisation for those specific products.
How new is the GGL as a regulator?
It became fully operational on 1 January 2023 under Germany’s 2021 Gambling State Treaty, replacing individual state-level oversight of cross-border online gambling with one federal authority. It’s young compared to the UKGC or MGA, but it carries real statutory backing and has been actively expanding enforcement since 2024.
Keep Reading
Licensing status can change. AskBigBonus uses the operator information available in its database and recommends checking the current regulatory record on Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder’s own public register before making decisions. This page is informational only, and inclusion of a brand does not constitute an endorsement.