(PRESS RELEASE) -- Only one in 12 German betting websites is legal, warns the German Sports Betting Association at the start of the UEFA Champions League season. There are at least 382 illegal-language websites offering sports comparison to just 34 legal betting sites. The DSWV refers to a corresponding evaluation by the Joint Gambling Authority of the federal states (GGL) for the year 2024.
"Online, it's 11:1 in favor of the black market and that puts players at risk," Mathias Dahms, President of the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV), makes clear. "In the legal sports betting market, players benefit from guaranteed player protection, payouts and tax revenues for the common good. Illegal providers in the black market, on the other hand, do not adhered to any rules, offer no security and have a higher risk of gambling addiction.
With the start of the UEFA Champions League, the second most-bet competition in Germany after the Bundesliga, the volume of betting has skyrockeded.
"Players need to be especially vigilant at this time of year so that they don't accidentally end up with illegal providers. This is another reason why it is important that the legal providers are present with perimeter boards and TV advertising during the Champions League matches,"s Dahms.
What many players do not know is that they are not only taking a higher risk, but are also liable to prosecution. Participating in unauthorized sports betting can result in a prison sentence of up to six months or a fine.
How to legal recognize providers:
- Only legal providers may advertise on stadium boards and on television sporting during events such as the Champions League or Bundesliga.
- Only providers on the GGL whitelist are legal in Germany. The list is publicly available at www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/whitelist.
- Legal providers have a clearly visible GGL permit logo on their website.
- Only legal providers offer player comprehensive protection measures such as deposit limits, player bans and monitoring of conspicuous behavior gaming.
- Only legal providers contribute to the support of support services for gamblers at risk aggression addiction, such as the anonymous and free hotline 0800-1372700 or the website check-dein-spiel.de of the Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG).
- With legal providers, payouts are guaranteed and the stakes are properly taxed.
"It is in the common interest of regulators, and providers players to the legal market and push back the black market," continued Dahms. "This is the only way to ensure player protection, integrity and tax revenues."