German Authorities Target Alleged €5.86bn Illegal Gambling Network

What does €5.86bn actually mean?

The figure is total stakes, not profit. On a slot, the same money is staked, paid back out as winnings and staked again many times, so turnover runs far higher than what players actually lose or what the operator keeps. Stakes, gross gaming revenue, profit and the tax owed are four different numbers.

The scale is still striking. Spread over the 30 months, it averages about €2.34 billion a year. Germany's entire legal online slots market took roughly €4.57 billion in stakes in 2025, so this one alleged operation handled a volume equal to more than half of it. ^[4]

What does the case say about Germany’s black market?

The raids have reopened a dispute over how large Germany’s illegal online gambling market really is. The regulator GGL’s 2025 activity report put the unlicensed share of online gross gaming revenue in 2024 at 23%, or €547 million. Industry figures based on Nielsen data put it at around 56%. ^[4][5]

Both associations of licensed operators welcomed the raids. The sports-betting association DSWV said the findings should prompt a thorough reassessment of official estimates of the black market. The online casino association DOCV said the figures from the investigation do not fit the regulator’s estimates, and called for a nationwide licensing model for online casino games. ^[4][5]

The GGL itself has since asked for more direct powers. In an interview with the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, reported on 23 September, Co-President Ronald Benter said the rules in Germany’s Interstate Treaty on Gambling are very detailed and slow to change, while the illegal market is very dynamic. He urged prosecutors to open more proceedings against people abroad who target German players without a licence, something he said has so far almost never happened. The GGL says it supports prosecutors with intelligence from its payment-blocking and network-blocking cases. ^[6]

The raids came in the same week as the annual meeting of the German-speaking gambling regulators of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (DACHL) in Bern on 9 and 10 September. The regulators named illegal online gambling as the greatest current challenge for gambling supervision and agreed to deepen their cross-border cooperation. ^[7]

Why the case matters to UK players

For British players, the lesson is that a polished online casino can be anything from a licensed operator to a large illegal business. Before depositing, check which regulator licenses the site, who operates it and how withdrawals and complaints work. Unusually high limits and minimal verification can be signs that a site is outside any regulated framework.

The German case is unrelated to recent UK enforcement. In Manchester, a joint operation by Greater Manchester Police, the Gambling Commission and Manchester City Council led to four arrests and the seizure of more than £20,000 in cash. ^[2] Both cases reflect the same concern among regulators: that illegal gambling often overlaps with wider financial crime.

What happens next?

The investigation may lead to charges and a trial. Until then the allegations remain unproven and the suspects are presumed innocent.

If gambling is affecting your finances or wellbeing, stop playing and seek support. An unlicensed site is never a way around self-exclusion or account limits.