
Legality in Online Gambling Searches: Spain vs. Germany

At the 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference, iGaming’s CEO, Prof. Dr. Andreas Ditsche, compared the striking differences in online gambling search queries in Spain and Germany.
While Spanish players search for legality, it appears that German players search for escape. But escape from what exactly? The answer is in the keywords discussed by Prof. Dr. Ditsche in the short video above.
Examples of Keyword Searches in Spain and Germany
“Legal gambling in Spain” and “licensed casinos in Spain” are among the leading searches from Spanish players. In Germany, on the other hand, we have keywords like “online casinos without limits”, “without 5-second rule”, and “with EU license”.
This suggests that German players are seeking to escape the overregulation in the legal market by turning to offshore and unlicensed platforms.
Prof. Dr. Ditsche explains that gamblers are also concerned about getting a bad credit history, so another common search is “casino without credit check”.
“Put it that way, people are scared that they are registered and do not get a mortgage one day.”
Prof. Dr. Andreas Ditsche iGaming CEO, at the 2025 Gaming in Spain Conference.
The overregulation in Germany has led to a channelization rate of just 50% for legal online operators. This means that only half of German gamblers are using licensed platforms.
Slot games face numerous restrictions, including a €1 max bet per spin, the 5-second rule, and a ban on jackpots and autoplay. What’s more, the turnover tax on online slots has led to lower RTPs. As a result, the channelization rate for slots is even lower. In 2024, this was less than 40%.
More Insights from Prof. Dr. Ditsche
Listen to Prof. Dr. Ditsche’s full speech for more insights and data-driven analysis of player behavior and gambling participation trends across Europe.
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