GGL

The GGL is the central supervisory authority for gambling in Germany, with its seat in Halle (Saale). It was established on the basis of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 and took up its full work in early 2023. Previously, supervision of sports betting operators was spread across many individual bodies of the federal states. Today the GGL bundles this task in one place. The betting shops themselves are supervised by the responsible authorities of the federal states.

For you that means: there is a clear authority that checks whether a sports betting provider is licensed in Germany and whether it sticks to the rules.

The GGL covers several core areas around sports betting and gambling:

• Checking licences: Only providers with a licence may offer sports betting in Germany.
• Keeping the whitelist: The GGL publishes a public list of licensed providers, so that you can recognise reputable offers.
• Securing player protection: It monitors protection systems such as the nationwide OASIS blocking system and the deposit limits.
• Stopping illegal offers: Providers without a licence are pursued and blocked.

A betting shop in Germany works together with a provider that holds a licence and is supervised by the GGL. The betting shop itself is supervised by the responsible authorities of the federal states. This ensures that the rules on minimum age, player protection and fair play are observed. Make sure that your betting outlet belongs to a licensed provider.

The quickest way is the GGL's whitelist. If a provider is listed there, it is licensed and supervised in Germany. Reputable betting shops also display their licence visibly. If you can't find a provider on the list, you should avoid it, because then player protection and payout are not secured. What the GGL licence means for you as a bettor is explored in more depth in the guide.