Germany’s Commissioner of the Federal Government for Drug and Addiction, Drogenbeauftragte, has published a report revealing that 1 in 13 German gamblers develop health, financial, or social problems as a result of gambling.
The report titled ‘Glücksspielatlas Deutschland 2023 (Gambling Atlas of Germany 2023)’ includes data from current publications by experts from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD Hamburg) and the Gambling Research Unit at the University of Bremen. The German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS) is also listed as co-publisher.
Key Highlights from the 2023 Gambling Atlas
Gambling disorders
- 30% of German people took part in gambling in 2021, down from 55% in 2007
- 2.3% of the adult population (aged 18-70) have a gambling disorder – 1.3 million people
- 7.7% of active gamblers have a gambling disorder
- 5.7% of adults have shown the initial signs of problem gambling – 3.25 million people
- 40% of slot machine players have a gambling disorder
- 10% of male gamblers classed as at risk in past 12 months
- 3% of female gamblers classed as at risk in past 12 months
Gambling activity and spend
- 30% of gamblers placed wagers in the past 12 months
- €44.1 billion wagered (2022)
- €5.2 billion collected in taxes (2021)
- €13.4 billion in legal gross gaming revenue (2022)
- Illegal gambling accounts for 7% of all losses
The report also noted that demand for outpatient help from online gamblers has risen sharply over the past five years.
Speaking of the report and its findings, Burkhard Blienert, Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues said:
“The Gambling Atlas 2023, which is now available, brings together all the central data and facts relating to gambling. This now gives us a good basis for the discussion about the correct way to deal with gambling and its consequences. And we urgently need it! It is well known that gambling offers attract fast and sometimes high monetary winnings. But hardly anyone knows how high the risk of addiction really is – from the first game onwards – not even in politics.
We urgently need more effective measures against illegal slot machine and online gaming. And especially when it comes to sports betting, stricter limits should be placed on advertising as quickly as possible. There simply has to be an end to the sports betting spots before, after and during sports reporting, even in the afternoon and early evening programs. Nobody wants that, nobody needs that and nobody is good for it. Construction site number three is the so-called loot boxes in online games. If young people are specifically lured into playing seemingly harmless games with money and supposed luck, then something is wrong. Here, too, we need effective youth protection Casino regulations in Germany.”
Abenteuer stehen bei Jennifer hoch im Kurs, deshalb kombiniert sie seit vielen Jahren ihre Leidenschaft für Reisen und Outdoor-Aktivitäten mit der beruflichen Chance, die abwechslungsreiche und spannende Welt des iGamings tiefgründig zu erforschen. Mit maximaler Kreativität im Blut geht sie ihrem frühzeitigen Berufswunsch als Online-Redakteurin nach und begeistert sich privat zusätzlich für die Schmuckherstellung. Jennifer ist seit 2025 als Head Autorin für gamblingindustrynews.com aktiv und versorgt Glücksspielenthusiasten mit transparenten Informationen sowie ehrlichen Erfahrungen.
