The Finest Online Casino in Germany

The historically impoverished casinos in.de

There’s a reason why we chose our first title. Actually, the.de suffix appears in the domain name of every German-made online casino. But are the local gamblers’ interests exclusive to themselves? You should first thoroughly research the history of gambling in this area prior to the emergence of internet casinos in order to respond to this question.

The roots of gambling in Germany

The history of gambling in Germany began in the 14th century. It was then that card games appeared in Europe, which quickly became popular. The German city of Ulm even became a center for the production of playing cards – from there they were exported to other European countries so we can say that the tradition of German casinos has at least 800 years.

Also at the end of the 14th century, there were specialized houses in Würzburg and Frankfurt am Main where some gambling was played. Real casinos appeared in Germany later, at the beginning of the 19th century, but they were soon banned.

The first gambling establishment in Germany was built by Jacques Benazier at the end of the 18th century in the city of Wiesbaden, the administrative center of the state (district) of Hesse.

Leading architects from Germany and France were invited to build the casino building. The architecture of the building is reminiscent of French royal palaces. To create the compositions, marble, bronze cascade chandeliers, and stained glass windows were used.

The oldest casino in Europe operates to this day. Remaining a gambling establishment, it is also considered an architectural monument and one of the main attractions of Baden-Baden. The establishment of the Kurhaus Casino gave Baden-Baden the status of a summer capital from the very first days of its operation, the institution attracted German residents, especially during summer holidays, although the casino is open all year round, with the exception of 7 days.

Over the years, gambling in Germany has been outlawed several times and legalized again. In particular, in 1933 gaming halls were allowed, but at the end of World War II, all land-based casinos in German had to be closed again.

During the Second World War, gambling establishments, including the casinos of Baden-Baden, again ceased operations. However, already in 1950, the casino was restored. To this day, gambling business in the country is legal. Together with casinos in the middle of the 20th century, other gambling entertainments like lotteries and sports betting became legal and popular. However, there are some points that require additional regulation.

If we talk about modernity, then the revenue of land-based German casinos in 2015, amounted to 641 million EUR. The country is in fourth place among European countries in terms of casino profitability. And this despite high taxes, which are considered one of the most onerous in Europe.

The general ground business is governed by Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2012. Additional laws are enacted separately by each of the 16 states. More than 100 land-based casinos operate in Germany today. Five and a half million people visit them every year. The staff of gambling establishments is about 5,000 employees. The number of land-based casinos is regulated by each state government. One of the best German casinos and the biggest casino in Germany among land-based gaming establishments is Baden-Baden Casino.

Today in Germany there are more than a hundred land-based gambling establishments, some of which are owned by the state, while others are operated by private operators, and the third is jointly owned. Geographically, casinos are not evenly spread across the country. Most of them are located in the southern and eastern parts, and in the north the number of gambling establishments is decreasing. Baden-Baden is considered the real gambling center of Germany. This city is home to the oldest German casino – Kurhaus Casino, one of the ten best gambling establishments in the world according to Forbes magazine. In addition, land-based casinos are found in other cities and administrative centers (Bremen, Berlin, etc.).

The provision of gambling services throughout the country is carried out in accordance with varying legislative acts adopted by the administration of each district separately. So, players over 21 years old can visit the Baden-Baden casino. Persons who have reached the age of 18 are allowed to gamble in Berlin’s gambling establishments.

When had the first online German casinos appeared?

As you can see, gambling in Germany is in favor for centuries. Yet, that rule didn’t concerned German casinos online. When the whole world was enjoying the first experience in playing games of chance via the Internet, German players were missing that opportunity in legal terms. It is because an online casino became legal in Germany only in Jule, 2021. Before, all the .de online casinos were illegal.

In 2012, an attempt was made to legitimize the operation of virtual gambling establishments. The project was never crowned with success. The state government voted against the developed reform. The law on the legalization of online gambling was in effect for some time on the territory of Schleswig-Holstein, but was soon canceled. Nevertheless, in the territory of the district, foreign providers continue to work on licenses issued during the law.

On the territory of Germany, there was no single system of laws governing the supply of the digital version of gambling entertainment until 2021. The national market did not allow its own gambling operators to actively develop, and it was also unable to streamline the activities of foreign providers. This state of affairs raised a number of comments from the European Union.

The lack of adequate regulation of online casinos has led to the voluntary elimination of digital poker rooms and gambling platforms from the German market. So, in 2015, five virtual card clubs stopped operating in Germany after one of the blackjack players was prosecuted by the court. This is not the first time that platforms have been removed from the German segment on their own.

Yet, it doesn’t prove that Germans didn’t gamble online until 2021. As there are quite a blurry laws about the regulation of international online gambling, German Internet providers didn’t ban all the e-gaming websites that supported German visitors. So instead of the development of new German online casinos, the state’s government lost money that were spent in international casinos. The situation changed radically in 2021.

Some facts about German casino regulations

Fortunately for all casino lovers in german territories, from 2021 each of the Deutschland online casinos are legal. For this, the government adopted a single law on July 1, 2021. Earlier, the main law in the German gambling business was Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2012. It defined the protection of users, protection against fraud, and measures against the illegal market. The law was passed by sixteen states in the same 2012. Only Schleswig-Holstein accepted it in 2013.

The state of Schleswig-Holstein proposed its own law in January 2012, which issued 47 licenses for gambling establishments. The difference with this act was that it allowed working German casinos online. But then the government changed, and the province adopted a common Interstate Treaty on Gambling.

German slots were governed by federal law and the Trade Regulation Act and the Gaming Ordinance. Horse racing was controlled by the Federal Race Betting and Lottery Act of 1922 (as amended on August 31, 2016).

Today, the new law is ratified and it allows to bring online gambling out of the shadows. The essence of this law is that every virtual casino can get a German online casino license, and it can work for players of all 16 lands. Now it can be argued that in Germany:

• Online poker is legal in Germany.
• German casino sites can provide their services completely legally.
• Online casino slots in Germany are regulated by local authorities.

In addition, separate licenses are allocated for virtual lotteries and sports betting. But there are also some peculiarities. In particular, in Germany, the casino license obliges operators to set limits on deposits, prevent players from playing simultaneously with several operators, and block players if the rules of responsible gambling are not followed. Besides, you can only advertise in Germany online gambling companies sites after 9 pm and until 6 am.

These restrictions are generally based on the fight against gambling addiction in Germany.

According to statistics for 2014, more than 200 thousand cases were recorded in Germany in which citizens asked for help in the fight against gambling addiction. Gambling mania is a problem with which all countries of the world struggle, where gambling business is legalized. For example, Germany is also taking measures to prevent the development of addiction to gambling and eliminate the consequences of such addiction.

There is an unspoken rule in land-based casinos in Germany’s districts: if the pit boss drew attention to the excessive enthusiasm of the client, he can ask to stop the game. If the player, after a warning, does not stop and does not know the measures, losing money in the casino, the client’s name is added to the black list. This automatically deprives a person of the right to visit the casino and play on the territory of the institution. The same rules, combined with a ban on advertising, also apply to online establishments.

But this situation already allows players from Germany to enjoy German online casino games without restrictions. And this cannot but rejoice, since the Germans have quite old and interesting gaming traditions, and the number of visitors to any of the top German casinos is several thousand. As for the Germany online gambling license, operators can get it in several institutions at once.

Gambling regulators in Germany are state ministers or senators. In each state, ministers or senators have primary responsibility. They also appoint subordinate bodies responsible for organizing the gambling business at the local level.

The local authorities are responsible for the slot machines, on whose territory the machines are located. They also license and inspect slots. Sports betting points also belong to their powers.

There are a few more regulators:

• Ministry of the Interior and Sports of Hesse – issues licenses for sports betting;
• Darmstadt Regional Council – issues licenses for horse racing and brokers;
• Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior – responsible for blocking payments and issuing licenses for the national lottery;
• Düsseldorf Regional Government – allows TV and online advertising for sports betting and lotteries;
• The authorities of Hamburg and Rinland-Palatinate – responsible for some lotteries;
• Tax authorities in Frankfurt am Main – collect taxes on sports bets;
• Tax authorities of Neukölln (Berlin district) – collect value-added tax on online casinos;
• The Federal Minister of Finance can also influence gambling operators.

There is also a Gambling Committee made up of representatives from all German states. They are also involved in sports betting licensing and Advertising Guidelines projects.

What are Germany best online casino features?

And now it’s time to talk about which casinos in Germany online can be considered the best in the opinion of the players from this country. In Germany, casinos get a high trust rate of players if they match the mentality of locals. This means that the casino provides support to its customers, has an official license, and guarantees fast and fair payouts. Visitors to the best German online casinos are very scrupulous about their money, therefore, fair play and reliability of the gambling establishment they choose are especially important for them. Let’s take a closer look at the criteria for the best casinos in Germany.

Licensing

As we said, online gambling is already legal, which means each online casino for real money in Germany can get a local license without any problems. This explains in general the growth of new online casinos in Germany. At the same time, Germans used to choose reliable gambling establishments for themselves. As the number of German online casinos is too small, Germans prefer to play online casinos licensed by the Malta Gambling Authority. While this is not technically legal, it is also not illegal, falling under the gray area of gambling law. Thus, German gamers cannot be prosecuted for playing offshore online casinos. These online casinos are often available in German, use the euro as their currency, and offer top-tier games and numerous security measures to keep players safe.

As a German player, you can expect to play at the most reliable online casinos on the planet, as these operators are often licensed by the MGA, the most respected regulatory body in the market.

Website design & usability

German gamers respect their time, which means they will not waste it trying to understand the functionality of an inconvenient casino website. For a gambling establishment to be recognized as the best online casino in Germany, the operator should definitely take into account the convenience of the players. Also, do not discount the mobile casino for German players. Nowadays online casinos and mobile casinos mean the same thing. Online casinos without mobile support are dead, as they automatically lose more than half of their existing and potential customers.

The number of mobile games has grown significantly in recent years, and today more than 50% of all online bets are placed through smartphones or tablets.

Germany is a preeminent country in terms of technological progress, it is ranked 9th in the world in terms of smartphone penetration, which means that more than 70% of the country’s population of more than 80 million people have smartphones.

All leading German online casinos boast excellent mobile support. By excellent mobile support, we mean a fast and streamlined mobile website or app, access to hundreds of mobile games, customer support optimized for smartphones, and access to banking options.

Games diversity

Germany has a long history of gambling but does not highlight the specific games that German gamblers strictly prefer. The truth is that German gamblers have enjoyed all forms of gambling over the years, and this fact remains true to this day.

Poker and Blackjack have always been used as skill games, while other staples of the board game, such as roulette and baccarat, were notable incorporations into German gambling establishments, even during the illegal era. In the world of online gambling, Germans enjoy everything that is on offer. German players, as natural fans of many sports, love to bet on football as well as various racing-based sports.

In online casinos, Germans enjoy almost everything they have to offer:

• Slots in Germany are highly evaluated by young gamblers;
• Video Slots are a lion share of all the online slots in Germany;
• Slots with progressive jackpot are also in value;
• Board games are traditional and popular;
• Poker rooms are among the top German gambling sites;
• Live Casino Games are gaining popularity due to their interactive origin. So the number of German live casinos increases;
• Keno and bingo lotteries are also a matter of tradition so they are represented in the menu of the best casino sites in Germany;
• Virtual sports and sports betting are also of a high value and they are appreciated by the visitors of online casinos .de.

When you are choosing the best online casino .de, the game diversity is of a high value so all of the games listed above should be represented on the casino’s website to call it the best German casino.

Among other things, German gamblers also pay attention to providers. There are two major providers based in Germany:

• Bally Wulff Automaten;
• Gauselmann Group.

Bally Wulff Automaten is a cabinet and slot machine manufacturer. The developer is based in Berlin and mainly focuses on the German market. The company was founded in 1950. The company is now owned by the SCHMIDT Group, a major German supplier of IT products and this means lots of games of chance represented in top German casinos are developed by that provider.

Gauselmann Group is a corporation that manufactures games and slot machines, cabinets, builds entertainment centers and casinos, develops solutions for sports betting and bingo. Also it supplies systems for financial management.

In addition to these providers, German players prefer to play the best online slots in Germany from the largest international providers. It is worth looking at the list of the most popular slots in the top casino sites in Germany. It includes such bestsellers as:

• The Book of Ra;
• Lucky Lady’s Charm;
• The Game of Thrones;
• Jurassic Park;
• Sherlock Mistery;
• Spiderman;
• The Avengers.

Such modern manufacturers as Microgaming and Playtech attract the attention of German gamblers with their bright and unusual gameplay, favorite characters, and a large number of bonuses. Often in such slots there are multi-level German online casino free spins or interactive built-in mini games.

Currencies supported

Many foreign casinos have already included the euro in the list of possible currencies for the game. But for the Germans, only the support of the euro will clearly not be a sufficient indication to call this or that site the best casino online in Germany. Therefore, today operators are actively introducing support for cryptocurrencies, because for many progressive players it is the ability to replenish a deposit and receive winnings in Bitcoin or Litecoin that is an important factor for choosing an e-gaming platform today.

Payout speed

Another factor that German players pay a lot of attention to is the speed of money withdrawal. Of course, there are those among the players who still prefer outdated options for payment methods, for example, bank transfers, but in general, for a casino to be considered a top casino in Deutschland, it must offer fast payouts. In particular, players are more likely to choose a PayPal casino in Germany rather than a site where only bank transfers or checks are available. Operators who position themselves as instant casinos are similarly popular.

Bonuses & promos

As for the attractiveness of the casino from the point of view of economical and rational German players, then, of course, bonuses play an important role in their choice. In Germany, the best casino will definitely provide its players with bonuses that are balanced in size and wagering requirements, otherwise, no one will use them and no one will visit the website of such a casino. Also, for players from Germany, the presence of a no deposit bonus in a Germany online casino will be an important criterion for choosing. Since German gamblers are not interested in thoughtlessly spending money, in Germany, a no-deposit casino is popular as a phenomenon. Also, top online casinos in Germany are characterized by the presence of bonus programs and loyalty programs. Consistency is very important for Germans, and if there are good bonuses for loyal gamblers, gambling fans will play on the same site for a long time. The same can be said for land-based casinos.

How to determine best online casinos in Germany?

Now let’s get to the important point. How exactly can you choose the best online casinos in Germany? We have selected three main options for you, as you can find in Germany, a casino online, which will correspond to the high rank of the best.

Using fact-checking

Like all Germans, you can choose an online casino with a German origin for the factors that we suggested taking into account above. Real-life casino visits will help you gather facts and compare with descriptions on aggregator sites. And your personal experience is a great opportunity to create a personal list of top German online casinos. In particular, this is exactly what many newcomers to gambling do, and experienced German players often choose this method.

Customers’ reviews

Players’ reviews always provide an opportunity to get the maximum insider information. It is in them, that you can find out what will be hidden behind the bright advertising and visually attractive facade of this or that casino site. So, looking at the reviews of real players, you can draw important conclusions about each of top online casino in Germany.

• For example, if you love roulette, you should pay attention to reviews of where to play roulette in Germany. In their reviews, players will share information about the variety of roulette options and the frequency of winnings.
• Pay attention to the reviews, which indicate how the casino customer support works. Often, players complain about the careless customer support even in the best casino in Germany.
• Read between the lines. Does the casino have a commission for replenishing a deposit, or a commission for withdrawing funds? What payment methods does it offer, and how is funds withdrawn in reality? Sometimes this information is not fully disclosed in the rules of the casino itself, but in the reviews of gamblers you can easily get it.

Player reviews are an excellent basis for compiling a personal rating and choosing the best online casino in Germany without spending your money.

Summaries

Casinos in Germany appeared many centuries ago. And the interest in gambling in this country, although quite modest, does not diminish over time. On the contrary, a surge in popularity among casinos with a .de suffix in their address is expected in the coming years. And the point is in the new laws that began to operate in the country on July 1, 2021.

Despite its severity, the new Gambling State Treaty could significantly expand the German gaming industry as it will include online gambling in Germany that brings a considerable profit to the country’s budget. It is likely that a single regulation for the whole country will be able to reduce the number of illegal casinos and ensure the safety of gamblers during the gaming process.

Experts predict an increase in the gambling market in the coming years, because it is quite attractive for foreign operators. In total, new online casinos in Germany and land-based gambling establishments that are successfully operating will provide much larger tax revenues to the country’s budget.

As for the online casinos themselves, they clearly correspond to the very mentality of the Germans. These are establishments where fair play, accuracy in following the rules, and an economical approach to spending money are paramount. In terms of gaming variety, German casinos are not inferior to the leaders of the industry. There are slots from local providers, as well as flagship games of major world-famous providers. Local players themselves prefer the classics of card games, best-selling slots, and sports betting. By the way, it is gambling network users in Germany, especially professional poker players, who often appear in the list of the most successful online gamblers. For example, Niklas Heiniker (game nickname “ragen70”) won over USD 6 million in online poker tournaments in 2013.

What can we say about the very specifics of online gambling in Germany? Let’s summarize it in terms of facts.

1. 1. Despite the fact that gambling is not among the most popular entertainment, its segment is growing. The reason is all the same pandemic restrictions that influenced the growth of interest in online casinos all over the world. 2. German players are especially interested in slots and card games like online poker in Germany. This is understandable because slots are leading in popularity all over the world, and in the Middle Ages, it was Germany who was the leader in the production of playing cards in Europe. Let’s add here such a feature of the German mentality as adherence to traditions, and here is the result. 3. It is logical for Germans to play in casinos with the lowest financial costs because pragmatism and economy are national traits. Therefore, when choosing a casino, Germans are more likely to give preference to gambling halls with no deposit bonuses, which you can play on without investing a single euro cent from your wallet. 4. Time is no less valuable. Therefore, the presence of a carefully thought-out website design, a mobile version of the casino, an attractive interface, for a good casino from the point of view of a German player is a must. 5. Licenses for gambling in Germany can already be obtained by local operators. In addition, there are several international casinos operating in the country that received licenses in 2012, during the short period when it was allowed. 6. German players themselves often choose casinos from the gray zone, but they must be licensed by an authoritative regulator, for example, MGA.

In general, casinos in Germany are predicted to develop rapidly over the next few years. And when you consider that the Germans themselves promote critical thinking and a responsible approach to gambling, this country is an excellent example of how the industry is developing in the right direction and with the right attitude of players towards casinos.