Legal Online Poker in Germany (2026)
Online poker in Germany is legal only with operators on the GGL whitelist: the €1,000 monthly deposit cap, the four-table limit and the 5.3% stake tax.
Verified 9 September 2026- Legal since
- 1 July 2021
- Minimum age
- 18
- Player pool
- International, with German rules applied
- Deposit limit
- €1,000 per month across all operators (LUGAS)
- Tax on winnings
- 5.3% on stakes, paid by the operator
Licensed online poker rooms in Germany
- 1
GGPoker GGL licensed
- No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Short Deck, Rush & Cash
- On the GGL whitelist since 25 November 2022
- LUGAS deposit limit and 4-table cap apply
- 2
PokerStars GGL licensed
- No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Stud & mixed games, Spin & Go
- On the GGL whitelist since 22 March 2023
- Largest German-only pool
- 3
888poker GGL licensed
- No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, BLAST, SNAP fast-fold
- On the GGL whitelist since 24 January 2023
- 4
partypoker GGL licensed
- No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, fastforward
- On the GGL whitelist since 10 November 2022
- 5
bwin GGL licensed
- No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha
- On the GGL whitelist since 14 November 2022
Visit bwin18+ · T&Cs apply
How licensing works
The 2021 State Treaty on Gambling created one federal regulator, the GGL in Halle, and a public whitelist of every operator allowed to accept German players. Poker is its own product category on that list, so a brand can hold a slots or sports-betting permission and still be barred from offering poker. Only the domains on the whitelist are legal, so the .de version of a site is licensed while the .com version of the same brand is not.
The GGL whitelist is the only authoritative source. If a poker room is not on it, the operator is breaking German law and you play without the protection a licence gives you.
Limits that apply in every licensed room
- The €1,000 monthly deposit cap covers every licensed operator at once, enforced through the LUGAS central file. Some operators will raise it for players who verify a high income.
- Four tables at once is the maximum, and parallel play across operators is blocked.
- The 5.3% tax on stakes is paid by the operator, which recovers it through higher rake, lower rakeback or smaller guarantees.
- OASIS self-exclusion is checked at every login and covers all licensed gambling in Germany.
Rooms that left or never came
Winamax and Unibet never applied for a German poker permission, and most iPoker skins serve Germany through casino or betting licences that do not cover poker. In 2026 PokerStars cut affiliate marketing across most of Europe and GGPoker answered with a rakeback push. The German pool now runs on those two brands, with 888poker, partypoker and bwin behind them.
Frequently asked questions
Is online poker legal in Germany?
Yes, since 1 July 2021 under the State Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV 2021), but only with operators holding a separate online-poker permission from the GGL. Only the exact domain listed on the whitelist is legal.
Why is the German player pool smaller than elsewhere?
Licensed rooms pool German players with their international sites, but the rules are different: a €1,000 monthly deposit cap across all operators, a maximum of four tables at once, and a 5.3% tax on stakes that operators pass on through rake and rewards.
Are poker winnings taxed in Germany?
Recreational players pay no income tax on winnings. Players the tax office classes as professional can be assessed differently.
Which rooms are missing from the list?
Winamax, Unibet and most iPoker skins have no German poker permission, and PokerStars has scaled back its German marketing. If a room is not on the GGL whitelist it is not legal to offer poker to German players.