GGL-authorised online gambling sites
Online gambling sites authorised for virtual slots and poker across Germany.
Online gambling sites authorised for virtual slots and poker across Germany.
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, usually shortened to GGL, is Germany’s joint gambling authority for cross-state online gambling. It issues and supervises nationwide authorisations under the 2021 State Treaty on Gambling and maintains the official whitelist of permitted operators and websites.
German terminology is important. The GGL authorises virtual slot-machine games and online poker, but “online casino games” such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat are authorised separately by individual German Länder. Players should therefore check the operator, exact .de domain, gambling type and responsible authority in the whitelist.
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, or GGL, regulates cross-state online gambling on behalf of Germany’s 16 Länder. It is a public-law institution based in Halle (Saale) and has held central responsibility for licensing and supervising the relevant nationwide market since 1 January 2023.
The legal framework is the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021, usually abbreviated to GlüStV 2021. It came into force on 1 July 2021 and created a regulated route for gambling products that had previously been generally prohibited online, including virtual slot-machine games and online poker.
The German system uses the term Erlaubnis, meaning state authorisation or permission. An authorisation belongs to the named operator, applies to specified forms of gambling and covers the approved website addresses. A licence issued in Malta, Curaçao or another jurisdiction does not replace the required German authorisation.
German law draws a distinction that is easy to miss in everyday casino language. The GGL issues nationwide authorisations for virtuelle Automatenspiele, meaning virtual slot-machine games, and for online poker.
German legal terminology reserves Online-Casinospiele for online versions of traditional casino table games, including roulette, blackjack and baccarat. These games fall under arrangements made by individual Länder rather than the GGL’s nationwide licensing process. Availability and the responsible authority can therefore differ between federal states.
A GGL authorisation for virtual slots does not automatically permit an operator to offer roulette, blackjack, baccarat, live-dealer games or every other product associated with an international online casino. When checking a site, identify the exact gambling category shown in the authorisation.
Use the GGL’s official whitelist. It lists permitted operators, gambling categories, website addresses and the authority responsible for each authorisation.
Compare the legal company in the site’s footer and terms with the company in the whitelist. Then check the exact website address and make sure the listed gambling category covers the product being offered. German-authorised online gambling sites must use a .de domain.
Operators must state on their homepage that they hold a German authorisation and identify the authority that issued it. They may display the official GGL approval seal, but the seal is optional and should not replace a whitelist check.
The whitelist also contains gambling authorised by individual Länder. An entry in the whitelist does not necessarily mean that the GGL itself issued the authorisation, so check the “Zuständigkeit” or responsible-authority field.
Players must create a personal account before gambling. An operator may permit only one account per person and must verify the player’s identity. Gambling by minors is prohibited.
Deposits and withdrawals must use payment accounts held in the player’s own name. Operators cannot provide gambling credit, including indirectly through a third party. Account balances, deposits, winnings and withdrawals must be recorded in euros and cents.
Players must be able to request a withdrawal and close their account. German rules require operators to provide complaint channels such as email or a contact form, but identity, payment and anti-money-laundering checks may still be required before funds are released.
Authorised operators must connect to LUGAS, Germany’s cross-state gambling supervisory system. Its limit file records the player’s cross-operator deposit limit, while its activity file prevents simultaneous gambling with multiple online operators.
The cross-operator deposit limit is generally no more than €1,000 per month, although lower personal limits can be selected and exceptions may be permitted under regulated conditions. Operators must also allow players to set their own deposit, stake and loss limits.
The limit applies across participating operators rather than restarting whenever a player opens another account. The GGL explains these controls in its player-protection guidance.
Virtual slot-machine games are subject to additional product restrictions. The maximum stake is €1 per game, each game must last at least five seconds and every round must be started manually. Automatic play and progressive jackpots funded by accumulated stakes or winnings are prohibited.
After 60 minutes of uninterrupted gambling, the player must acknowledge an information notice and complete a five-minute break before continuing. Operators must also display relevant game information, including the return-to-player rate and the probability of achieving the maximum win.
These requirements apply specifically to virtual slot-machine games. Online poker and other authorised gambling products have their own rules and limits.
OASIS is Germany’s nationwide, cross-product gambling-exclusion system. Licensed operators must check a player’s status when the person registers or logs in and prevent excluded players from gambling.
Players can request self-exclusion, while operators and other eligible parties can initiate an exclusion where the legal conditions are met. A visible panic button must also provide an immediate 24-hour exclusion. The permanent responsibility for operating OASIS lies with the Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt rather than the GGL.
More information is available through the GGL’s OASIS information page.
Contact the operator first and explain the problem clearly. Retain account records, payment information, identity-verification requests, emails, screenshots and the version of the terms that applied.
The GGL accepts reports concerning illegal gambling, unlawful advertising, money-laundering concerns and irregularities involving authorised online gambling. These reports may support regulatory investigation or enforcement.
The GGL does not process complaints about transactions with a gambling operator and does not decide whether an individual withdrawal or contractual claim must be paid. An unresolved payment dispute may require consumer advice, an appropriate dispute-resolution procedure or legal action. The available route can depend on the operator and its contractual information.
Regulatory concerns can be submitted through the GGL’s reporting portal.
A GGL authorisation concerns the approved German gambling service. It does not mean that every international version of the same brand is authorised. Operators may use different companies, domains and product ranges in other countries.
Always use the listed German domain. An international or mirror domain belonging to the same corporate group is not covered merely because the group operates an authorised German website elsewhere.
Regulatory supervision, central limits and self-exclusion provide substantial protections, but they cannot prevent every withdrawal delay, account dispute or customer-service problem. Players must still check the responsible company, payment rules and verification requirements before depositing.
The German framework combines operator authorisation with identity checks, LUGAS monitoring, cross-operator deposit limits, OASIS self-exclusion and detailed product restrictions. The official whitelist provides a direct way to confirm the operator, domain, gambling category and responsible regulator.
Before playing, verify the exact site in the whitelist and check what its authorisation covers. In particular, do not assume that permission to offer virtual slots also covers roulette, blackjack, baccarat or live casino games.
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