casino.de launches Germany’s first free licence check for online casinos
A tool that matches casino domains against the official GGL whitelist and helps players tell legal gambling sites in Germany apart from illegal ones.
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Berlin, August 31, 2026. A new independent comparison portal for legal online casinos is now live. At the heart of casino.de is Germany’s first free licence check, a feature no other German portal has offered so far: players enter a casino domain and see within seconds whether the operator holds a German licence. The check matches the domain against the official whitelist of the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Germany’s joint gambling regulator, and works without registration. It is aimed at everyone who gambles online or intends to.
The need is considerable: according to the GGL Annual Activity Report 2025, 22.4% of all stakes on sports betting, slots and online casino games are placed with unlicensed operators, and industry representatives estimate the black market share to be significantly higher. Anyone playing with an operator that does not hold a German licence is also committing a criminal offence.
Dr Andreas Ditsche, CEO of iGaming.com and responsible gambling expert, said:
“Player protection starts with being able to distinguish legal gambling offers from illegal ones. The new check makes that possible, with a low barrier to entry and no registration.”
How the licence check works
The check verifies any casino domain, regardless of whether players came across it through advertising, search results or social media. It is based on the official GGL whitelist, with which the database is synchronised daily. New licences and revocations issued by the regulator are therefore reflected in the check with a delay of no more than one day.
In addition, casino.de explains the typical warning signs of illegal operators: the GGL seal is missing. The operator is not listed on the official whitelist. The site advertises a licence from Curaçao or Malta. In all three cases, the operator has no permission to offer gambling in Germany.
More than the licence check: legal clarity and independent reviews
Two further free tools complete the offering. The GlüStV Advisor answers questions about the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag) directly from the legal text, with every answer citing the relevant section. The Federal State Check shows on an interactive map which offers are permitted in the user’s own state. Gambling law in Germany is a matter for the 16 federal states: live roulette and blackjack under a German licence, for example, are only available in Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein.
In addition, the editorial team reviews the licensed operators against fixed criteria: game selection, payout speed and bonus terms determine the ranking. The first 20 in-depth reviews are online at launch, with more to follow on an ongoing basis. The site also features an overview of all roughly 70 land-based casinos in Germany, including admission, opening hours and games offered, a new “Slot of the Week” every week, and a newsroom covering regulation, player protection and market developments. The editorial team’s motto: “We write for players, not for operators.” The platform is funded through affiliate commissions. This creates no additional cost for users and has no influence on the reviews.
Outlook: browser extension makes the check even easier
The licence check will soon be available as a free browser extension for Chrome and Edge, with Firefox to follow. It automatically warns users when they open an illegal casino site, making the check even easier and faster.
The licence check and all reviews are available now at www.casino.de.
Media Contact
Press office casino.de
info@casino.de
+49 162 4049060
Notes for Editors
About casino.de
casino.de is an independent comparison portal for legal online casinos and land-based casinos licensed in Germany. The portal exclusively reviews operators listed on the official GGL whitelist, tests them independently against fixed editorial criteria and supports players in identifying illegal offers with its free licence check. casino.de is operated by iG casino.de GmbH and is part of the iGaming.com Group.
About the iGaming.com Group
The iGaming.com Group is an international digital media group that operates its own editorial brands as well as information and comparison platforms for sports betting and iGaming across several markets. The group also includes iGamingCare, a platform for safer gambling offering educational content, self-assessment tests and information on professional help.
18+. Gambling can be addictive. Help is available at www.bioeg.de.
Source of market figures: GGL Annual Activity Report 2025 (Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, the Joint Gambling Authority of the German Federal States).