In 2013, the state joined the Interstate Gambling Treaty and their issued licences remained valid. It was then that one state in Germany, Schleswig-Holstein created its own Gambling Act of 2012 and issued 6-year licences to more than 25 online casinos and 20 sportsbooks. This is when the European Union staged an intervention. But in 2012, the government amended the treaty so that online lotteries and sports betting were removed from the ban. Prior to these changes, the Interstate Gambling Treaty banned all types of online gambling in the country, and German banks and gambling providers were not permitted to do business with one another. Private casino operators are welcome to apply for licenses to offer virtual slot machines, online poker and sports betting. Thanks to this significant change, licensed operators can now offer online games to players in Germany, as long as they follow the government’s regulations in terms of products, deposit limits and marketing. Most notably, the regulatory landscape changed in July 2021 when online licensing was legalised via the Interstate Treaty of Gambling. The gambling laws in Germany have gone through several adjustments over the years.
