Everything we do has some measure of chance attached to it whether it is a simple matter of crossing the road or choosing those lottery numbers, we all take chances everyday be they small or life-changing, for life itself is one huge gamble.

Because of this many of the ‘powers that be’ use this human trait to shape decisions made that govern our everyday living.  What is interesting is that a great deal of the time ‘those powers that be’ cannot agree as some are bigger chance takers than others.



This inability to agree on rules and legislation is magnified even more so when it involves gambling, the game of chance taken by those who enjoy the thrill of the game, and those in power who want a say in how things are run and of course a percentage of the revenue to go into government coffers. It appears that problems occur simply because of some being bigger chance or risk takers than others, an interesting concept when you consider all of the important decisions that are made daily in government.

Now I’ve played online casino for some time but never outside the UK. So when a German friend asked meif it was possible to play online casino in Germany I really did not know the answer and when I decided to do some research on the matter I was truly astonished by what I found.



The short answer is yes and what a good question it is. The answer is a lot more complicated than you might think. The German Federal Governmenthas enjoyed a “state betting monopoly” since 2009and more or less made online gambling illegal. Now when I say online gambling I’m talking German online casinos and poker and this does not apply to other forms of gambling such as lotteries. However, one of the sixteen German states Schleswig-Holsteinbucked the trend.

In 2013 Schleswig-Holsteinwhich is historically half Danish and has a population of nearly three million people issued six years licences to private independent operators breaking ranks with other German states. To the dismay of the German Federal Government the good folk of Schleswig Holstein issued approximately fifty licences for online sports betting and online casino games to private independent operators. This act propelled Schleswig-Holstein to become the mini Las Vegas of German online gambling.

The remaining fifteen states were reluctant to follow suit and are to this day still dragging their heels in issuing new gambling licences to private independent operators despite pressure from the European Supreme Courts. As stated earlier we are talking casino poker or casino games in general rather than sports betting or lottery games. The European Union has always maintained there should be free movement of services between all of its members and continues to argue this point to the German Federal Government and in particular to the German Federal Court.

In conclusion the answer is yes we may play online casino on German sites for the immediate future and that means until 2019 (licences expire). After that who knows what will happen but the likelihood is there will be a relaxation in German Federal Law and an introduction of some as yet unknown new gambling tax. Germany will no doubt eventually follow the lead of Norway in the liberalization of gaming laws and that should make the situation for private operators less fuzzy. As for the players deregulation usually gives them more choices and hence better deals.