Online Gambling Growing in Germany

Online gambling, specifically online poker, is booming in Germany, reports Deutsche Welle. The German international broadcaster recently reported that between 200,000 and 290,000 Germans are using an online casino regularly. An estimated one million euros were gambled through an online casino in 2006 and that number has surely increased in the last two years.

As it stands, German law dictates that gambling is only legal in brick-and-mortar casinos. Not dissimilar from the situation in America, the legality of online gambling is still ambiguous. While online gambling with an exchange of money appears to be illegal, the authorities have yet to bring charges against any individuals. Because each online casino is based off-shore, the jurisdiction is also hazy.

Deutsche Welle also added that online gambling has caught fire with the help of celebrity plugs, including help from German tennis legend Boris Becker and German poker champion Michael Keiner. Keiner gained notoriety for winning a World Series of Poker bracelet last year. Trained as a surgeon, Keiner caught the fever in the US in the early 90s and has gone on to win mostly by playing Pot Limit Omaha cash games.

The German tax authorities collect an incredible amount of taxes from offline gambling revenues but do not touch online gambling monies.