In all 16 states of Germany, gambling is legal and is entirely state controlled. Gambling has taken off in Germany and the German government generates a substantial amount of tax income from its citizens’ desire to gamble, since the early 2000s.

Germany may be the birthplace of poker and the site of the first casino and has a long history of gambling. The Germans played a game called pochenspie, in the middle ages, that is very similar to poker and the first public casino opened in 1764. Gambling was considered illegal under the Nazi regime who considered it counterproductive to the war effort.

There are 75 casinos in operation in Germany, according to worldcasinodirectory.com. In an attempt to prevent gamblers from becoming addictive, its casinos are heavily regulated. A January 2008 law forbade online gambling in any form in Germany. Traditional online casino games as well as sports betting, online bingo and online lotteries, all are prohibited by the ban.

By saying it was to protect Germans from the perils of online gaming, German lawmakers defended the law. The law was enacted so states could safeguard the state-controlled gambling industry, as per the critics. They also point out that the law is in contrast to an existing European Union law that specifically allows online gambling. As a result, several legal challenges have been formed.

Despite the illegal status of online gambling and strict control, it appears to be very popular in Germany. Over the past decade, profits have steadily increased and interest has skyrocketed.