Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021)
The interstate treaty that legalised and regulates online gambling in Germany
Last verified: 2026-09-20
The GlüStV 2021 has been in force since 1 July 2021. It makes virtual slots, online poker and online casino games licensable under restrictive conditions and created the GGL.
Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021)
Overview
The GlüStV 2021 is an interstate treaty of the 16 German states that entered into force on 1 July 2021. It makes virtual slot games, online poker and online casino games — previously banned online — licensable under restrictive conditions, requires a licence for all public gambling and prohibits advertising for unlicensed gambling. Online casino games can only be offered by the states themselves or under limited state concessions. The statutory maximum stake for a virtual slot game is EUR 1.
The treaty was amended once, by a treaty signed in March 2022 that took effect on 1 January 2023. A second amendment treaty, signed in March 2026, takes effect once all 16 states have ratified it. The treaty requires an evaluation; its summary report is due by 31 December 2026, and a further amendment is planned to follow.
The treaty is the central rulebook for gambling in Germany. [1]
Treaty text and entry into force on 1 July 2021. [2]
Second amendment treaty: main changes and entry into force. [3]
Key facts
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Verified
The Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlüStV 2021), an interstate treaty of the 16 German states, entered into force on 1 July 2021.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Staatskanzlei), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (transparency portal), Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
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Since 1 July 2021, internet gambling that was previously banned outright — virtual slot games, online poker and online casino games — can be licensed under restrictive conditions.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Staatskanzlei)
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Public gambling in Germany may only be offered or brokered with a licence from the competent German authority (§ 4 GlüStV 2021); advertising for unlicensed gambling is prohibited (§ 5), and offering unlicensed gambling can be a criminal offence.
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Online casino games — virtual table games such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat, and live-dealer games — can only be offered by the German states themselves or under a limited number of state concessions (§ 22c GlüStV 2021); the GGL grants no licences for them and does not supervise them.
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The statutory maximum stake for a virtual slot game is EUR 1 per game (spin) (§ 22a Abs. 7 Satz 1 GlüStV 2021).
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
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The GlüStV 2021 was amended once by a first amendment treaty signed in March 2022, which entered into force on 1 January 2023.
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Senator for Interior and Sport), Land Niedersachsen (NI-VORIS)
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A second amendment treaty to the GlüStV 2021 (2. GlüÄndStV 2021) was signed by the states between 2 and 26 March 2026; it changes the treaty in specific points: wider query powers for the GGL (including national and foreign police and prosecution authorities and the financial intelligence unit), clearer duties to check the OASIS exclusion system with matching administrative offences, a revised legal basis for network blocks (IP blocking), simpler handling of contracts by the GGL's administrative board, confidentiality of board sessions and a simpler appointment of the auditor.
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Senator for Interior and Sport), Hessischer Landtag, Land Brandenburg (BRAVORS)
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The second amendment treaty enters into force on the day after the last ratification instrument is deposited, so all 16 states must ratify it.
Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Senator for Interior and Sport)
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The GlüStV 2021 requires an evaluation (§ 32); the summary evaluation report is due by 31 December 2026, and a further amendment of the treaty is planned to follow it.
Land Brandenburg (BRAVORS), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Senator for Interior and Sport), Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
Sources
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)Primary source — Bekämpfung unerlaubten Glücksspiels und Werbung dafür — https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/bekaempfung-illegales-gluecksspiel/unerlaubtes-gluecksspiel
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (transparency portal)Primary source — Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (treaty text) — https://www.transparenz.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen2014_tp.c.166069.de&template=00_html_to_pdf_d
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Senator for Interior and Sport)Primary source — Senate submission of 3 March 2026: Zweiter Staatsvertrag zur Änderung des Glücksspielstaatsvertrags 2021 — https://www.rathaus.bremen.de/sixcms/media.php/13/20260303_top_6_Aenderung_Gluecksspielvertrag.pdf