Germany – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
There are plenty of online casinos, as well as live dealer and sportsbook sites, made for players based in Germany. In fact, you’ll be spoilt for choice, seeing as it is one of the largest countries within Europe where iGaming has continued to gain in popularity year on year. Throughout this guide, then, we will go over how to find the best German casinos, what your options are for depositing and withdrawing, and where you can locate the best welcome bonuses out there.
Finding the best German casino online
Some of the biggest brands within Europe offer German players a full range of casino games, including slots, jackpots, live dealers, table games, poker, bingo, and sports betting. There’s no lack of payment methods for Germans either, with credit/debit cards, bank transfers, eWallets (such as Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal) all available to use for deposits and withdrawals. Times and limits vary for each of these depending on the site, so check the GoodLuckMate casino reviews or else contact the brand’s customer support team directly for more info on these.
Our expertly written reviews are also the best place to decide on the best casino site at which to play. We detail the ins and outs of welcome bonuses (including the attached terms and conditions), explain what payment methods are available and go over the selection of games available. Here’s a breakdown of the things worth considering before signing on the dotted line:
- Go through GoodLuckMate’s German casino reviews
- Ensure that your preferred payment method is available
- Double-check that you can use Euros
- If desired, make sure the site is translated into German
- Read through the welcome bonus terms and conditions
With all that done and a site in mind, head to the GoodLuckMate review of that brand and click on the welcome bonus banner. This takes you to the sign-up page and gives you the best offer.
Gambling regulation – The Interstate Treaty and state laws
Online casinos exist in a kind of grey area compared to other European countries that have a specific regulatory body governing gambling activities. To illustrate what we mean, we must explain that online casino play is prohibited by the Interstate Treaty on Gambling. However, each state can permit its citizens to play online if they so choose, and these states have given all regulatory power over to the Ministry of the Interior for Schleswig-Holstein. Therefore, so-called Schleswig-Holstein licenses are granted in some cases. The same goes for bingo sites. However, you are far more likely to play at a casino with servers based in other countries, with a fair number of these being operated out of Malta under a license from the MGA.
Strangely, the same Interstate Treaty on Gambling does permit sportsbook betting under its laws, so sites offering these services are considered on a stronger legal footing. When it comes to lotteries, these fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior in each state unless it is a nationwide lottery – in which case the Ministry of the Interior for Lower Saxony has the power.
Localized online casinos
There are around 200 million German speakers in the world, with the vast majority of those living within Germany itself or else in neighboring Austria. Therefore, with such a large target audience, you will find that a good number of online casinos translate their sites into German, and this is especially true of those based in Europe. Failing that, near enough any site that allows German residents to sign up will also be written in English, which many Germans speak.
Also, being part of the Eurozone where iGaming is so popular means that you will find multiple sites that offer all of their welcome bonuses, promotions and other deals in the Euro currency. Therefore, there will be no need for players from the country or Austria to convert their money in order to play. Additionally, players may also be able to use the British Pound or the US Dollar.
Casinos in Germany
Those wanting to take a break from playing online will find more than 50 land-based casinos dotted around the country. Usually located in the larger cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, and others, there’s plenty of Las Vegas-style action available to residents of the fatherland. Outside of the big metropolises, you can find plenty of casinos located in the resort and spa towns where tourism is particularly popular. Just be sure to carry your official government-approved ID that proves your age before venturing out into the real world.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
