Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
Germany's joint state gambling authority in Halle (Saale)
Last verified: 2026-09-20
The GGL licenses and supervises cross-state gambling such as virtual slot games and online poker, publishes the official whitelist and fights illegal online gambling for the 16 states.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
Overview
The GGL is an institution under public law (Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts) with its seat in Halle (Saale), established on 1 July 2021 under the GlüStV 2021. The 16 states transferred the regulation of cross-state gambling offers, especially on the internet, to it. Since 1 January 2023 it has fully carried out these tasks: it licenses and supervises virtual slot games and online poker and publishes the official whitelist of licensed providers. Since 1 July 2022 it has also been responsible for combating illegal online gambling and advertising for it, using prohibition orders with coercive fines, criminal complaints, administrative-offence proceedings, network blocks and payment blocking.
The GGL does not license or supervise online casino games such as roulette or blackjack, which are matters for the individual states. In its Tätigkeitsbericht 2025, published on 3 July 2026, it reports that the focus shifted from granting licences to structured supervision of licensed providers, and it says the coming years will centre on the statutory evaluation and the preparation of a new licence cycle from 2027.
GGL press release on the Tätigkeitsbericht 2025. [1]
Licensing and supervision of virtual slot games and online poker. [2]
Online casino games are a matter for the states. [3]
Key facts
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Verified
The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) is an institution under public law (Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts) with its seat in Halle (Saale), established on 1 July 2021 under the GlüStV 2021; the 16 states transferred the regulation of cross-state gambling offers, especially on the internet, to it.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Staatskanzlei)
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Verified
The GGL took over its tasks under the GlüStV 2021 in full on 1 January 2023, becoming the licensing and supervisory authority for cross-state gambling offers, especially on the internet.
Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Staatskanzlei), Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
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Responsibility for combating illegal online gambling and advertising for it has been with the GGL since 1 July 2022.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Staatskanzlei)
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The GGL is responsible for licensing and supervising virtual slot games and online poker (§§ 22a and 22b with §§ 4 to 4c GlüStV 2021) and conducts administrative-offence proceedings under § 28a GlüStV 2021.
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The GGL publishes an official whitelist of all licensed providers and intermediaries (§ 9 Abs. 8 GlüStV 2021), and licensed providers must show on their homepage that they hold a German licence.
Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)
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On 3 July 2026 the GGL published its Tätigkeitsbericht 2025, which states that in 2025 the focus shifted from granting licences to structured supervision of licensed providers, and that action against illegal online gambling was widened to the whole market environment, including service providers.
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The GGL says the coming years will centre on the statutory evaluation of the GlüStV 2021, preparing a new licence cycle from 2027 and further strengthening data-based supervision.
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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 GGL fights unlicensed gambling with prohibition proceedings and coercive fines, criminal complaints (§ 284 ff. StGB), administrative-offence proceedings, reports of possible tax and money-laundering offences, network blocks (IP blocking) against access providers, and payment blocking against payment service providers.
Sources
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)Primary source — GGL veröffentlicht Tätigkeitsbericht 2025 — https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/news/ggl-veroeffentlicht-taetigkeitsbericht-2025
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)Primary source — Online-Poker und virtuelles Automatenspiel: Erlaubnis — https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-gluecksspielanbieter/online-poker-und-virtuelle-automatenspiele
- Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL)Primary source — Legale Online Casinos in Deutschland (FAQ) — https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/informationen-fuer-spielende-faqs/faq-was-sind-legale-online-casinos-in-deutschland