Germany’s national regulator, the Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), has released the country’s first ever quarterly market data.
The figures relate to the first two quarters of 2025 and revealed that sports betting was the primary driver of gambling revenues, but overall earnings dropped from €3.5 billion in Q1 to €3.2 billion in Q2.
The GGL introduced the new system of reporting at the start of this year, in an effort to create “greater transparency in the legal gambling market”.
Operators must now report their figures every three months so that the regulator can compile a Gambling Market Monitor, that will “regularly inform the public and political decision-makers about market developments”.
Sports Betting Top Of The League
Wagers from sports betting apps and retail units produced the highest revenue in the German market, generating €2.18 billion in the first quarter and a further €1.89 billion from April to June.
Although taking top spot in terms of revenue earned, it did signify a drop of around 13.5% between the two periods.
Wagers on sport betting sites contributed over 75% of the overall sports betting revenue for Q1, contributing €1.6 billion, and over 70% in Q2 with €1.4 billion.
Retail units added €585 million in Q1 and a further €494 million in the second quarter.
Slots Dominate Online Casinos
Looking at revenues generated by online casino products, digital slots generated €1.1 billion in wagers in the first quarter.
That rose to €1.12 billion for Q2 as the segment establishes itself as one of the German market’s most important sources of gambling revenue.
Online poker slipped the other way, falling 9.8% from the €204 million posted in Q1 to €184m for the second quarter.
Online horse racing took a steady gallop, climbing 28% from €25m to €32m.
Traditional Lottery Remains Popular
Charity lotteries generated over €315m in each quarter, accounting for the bulk of the vertical’s overall revenues of €377 million in Q1 and €371 million in the second period.
Class lotteries weighed in with €61m in the first quarter and €58m in Q2
Germany’s New Regulations
Online gaming became legal in Germany in July 2021 as a result of the new German Interstate Treaty on Gambling (ISTG) or Glücksspielstaatsvertrag (GlüStV), which legalised regulated gambling across all 16 states.
However, some critics maintain that its regulations are too restrictive, leading users to seek out offshore sportsbook providers.
The legislation imposed a monthly deposit limit of €1,000 per user across all platforms.
There was also a €1 stake limit for online slots.
The GGL has claimed that unregulated gambling represents around 25% of the country’s total gaming market.
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
