People living in or traveling to Germany generally wonder if gambling is actually a legal activity in the European country or not. A lot of people have confusion on this subject and it is obvious to have it as gambling rules keep on changing from time to time. In this post, we have thrown light on whether casinos are really legal in Germany or not.
In Germany, gambling is not regulated at a national level but only the local state authorities handle this department. This is a similar system to that of the US where only states handle casinos and gambling under their jurisdiction without the interference of the federal government.
History of Gambling in Germany
In the earlier times, people used to take part in gambling and casinos but the entire scene changed due to second world war destruction that shattered the entire infrastructure of Germany. After that, Germany introduced a new constitution that assigned the right to states to allow players to participate in gambling. More focus was given to lotteries and sports betting in Germany and casino laws were made somewhat restrictive, post the implementation of the new constitution.
However, over the years, the entire picture changed and rules related to casinos were relaxed which eventually led to the eradication of casino laws in Germany. During the time period of 2008 to 2012, gambling was declared illegal in the country. In the year 2012, only the state of Schleswig-Holstein was allowed to operate online casinos to allow people to play different casino games on their smartphones or other electronic devices.
Slots in the German States
Out of the total 16 states in Germany, 14 states make available slots at casinos and slot salons. Most of the casinos are operating under state ownership and some of them are state-owned or private. Although the rules for participation in these slots are strict and they place some sort of restrictions to prevent a participant from getting addicted to it.
Online slots are declared illegal by German online gambling laws and hence it is not easier to find online slots with ease. One can simply visit the online platform, wiser gambler to enable oneself to play online casino games to entertain oneself.
In a nutshell, we can say that gambling is not permissible online in Germany as online gambling laws in Germany only allows you to play the lottery online, and place bets on sports betting. It is not 100% legal to participate in slot games. There are small slot halls available that make it possible for people to participate in gambling.