Sports betting revenues in Germany grew by 21 percent last year, with bettors shelling out €9.3 billion (US$10.1 billion) in wagers, according to figures published by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
German sports betting association Deutsche Sportwettenverband (DSWV) said the spike was more impressive because there was no major tournament during the year, by contrast with 2018, which included the FIFA World Cup.
Operators paid a total of €500 million in sports betting taxes for the period, according to Europeangaming.eu.
“Sports betting has reached the center of society in Germany and has become a popular leisure activity,” DSWV President Mathias Dahms said. “The common good also benefits. Last year, sports betting providers paid around half a billion euros in sports betting tax.”
And there’s more to come. A nationwide permit tender for sports betting providers has been running since the beginning of the year; at least 45 applications are reportedly expected. The first permits are to be issued in the spring.
“It is now up to the federal states to show that their regulatory framework works and that they can effectively deal with unlicensed offers,” said Dahms. “In some cases, improvements are necessary so that there is no displacement of players into the black market and distortion of competition.”
