DOCv and DSWC Germany black market

Speaking during the DOCV’s ‘beer, pretzels and policy’ networking event during last week’s ICE conference (21 January), Dirk Quermann, president of the online slots and casino group in Germany, told attendees this data was based on estimates from academics.  

On the sports betting side, Mathias Dahms, president of the online betting trade body in Germany, Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV), spoke alongside Quermann. He said channelisation for the vertical was around 60% to 70%.

According to the DSWV, there are approximately 29 online betting licence holders in Germany which collected a total of €7.3 billion (£6.1 billion/$7.7 billion) in stakes in 2024, with an estimated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €1.1 billion. 

This represents a 4% rise in stakes from 2023. However, stakes overall have dropped 15% since the 5.3% turnover tax was introduced in 2021.  

"GGL black market estimates are too low”

Dahms said the body believes Germany’s betting regulator, the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), has not recognised the scale of the black market and the problem it is causing for the sector locally.  

"We have an increasing black market problem in Germany,” Dahms told attendees. "We are quite sure the [black market] estimates of the GGL are far too low. Up to now, we don’t see that the GGL is really recognising this black market problem we are all facing in our daily work.” 

The GGL reported back in July it estimated the total gambling black market made up around 4% of the overall German market in its 2023 annual report. But this included online betting, online slots and land-based revenues in Germany.  

At the time it said the black market recorded between €400 million and €600 million in GGR during the period, compared to the legal market’s €13.7 billion total for the year. Of this sum, the GGL said, €3 billion was generated online.