Key points:
- Germany’s regulator has confirmed a GGR figure of €14.4bn for FY 2024, up 5%
- GGL has also highlighted that the current illegal online landscape accounts for 25% of the online market
- During 2024, the regulator also conducted reviews of 1,700 gambling websites
The German gambling regulator – Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) – has posted its 2024 Activity Report, revealing an overall gross gaming revenue of €14.4bn ($16.9bn) for the year – alongside additional key developments.
Indeed, this report contains specific statistics and analytical details of the progression of the German gambling market over the course of 2024. Highlighted as part of the report are key regulatory challenges, financial statistics, black-market analysis, player protection initiatives and the outlook for 2025.
The market in numbers
As mentioned, Germany’s market generated a GGR figure of €14.4bn during the year 2024. This figure represents healthy year-on-year growth of 5%, with tax contributions and levy revenues amounting to a total of €7bn overall. Further, regulated GGL suppliers contributed €4bn in revenue – making up 28% of the regulated market.
Conversely, this latest development comes following an additional release by GGL last month, which sought to clarify the legal definitions of online casinos in Germany – after numerous enquiries pertaining to the difference between licensed and unlicensed providers.
Elsewhere, the regulator supervised approximately 141 organisations whilst simultaneously processing a total of 230 permits.
Germany’s black market
Moving on to the black-market section of the report, GGL has specified that there remains a total of 858 German-language sites that are operated by 212 operators not currently licensed in the nation. Further, it estimates that these sites represent an overall market share of between €500m-€600m, equating to between 3%-4% of the entire market.
However, it has also underscored that illegal online gambling, specifically, accounts for a total 25% market share of the entire online market.
During the course of 2024, 231 illegal sites were prohibited from a total 1,700 sites reviewed by GGL – with 657 illegal sites being removed from the German market based on automated geo-blocking initiatives relating to the Digital Services Act. Further, in September 2024, licensed German operators became authorised to run Google Advertisements on their sites – allowing for the enhanced visibility of those that remain unregulated in the space.
Good to know: During 2024, the Mainz Administrative Court approved the GGL’s ‘Markers of Harm’ player protection initiative – spelling the implementation of raised deposit limits and other initiatives
Outlook for 2025
Now, the GGL has specified that it anticipates further legal and regulatory developments in the market throughout the remainder of the year, with the continued development of safe servers intended to increase the monitoring of the regulated landscape in the nation.
Speaking on the release of the report, GGL Chairman, Ronald Benter, said: "Our stated goal is to make the business model of illegal providers unattractive through a comprehensive package of measures. Combating illegal offerings remains a long-term process that requires strategic action, decisive action, and close interagency cooperation."
