German authorities have conducted a major crackdown on an alleged illegal online gambling operation suspected of facilitating wagers totalling approximately €5.86 billion over a 30-month period.
According to the German Press Agency, the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office, together with the Frankfurt tax investigation unit, the State Office for the Combat of Financial Crime in North Rhine-Westphalia and Frankfurt police, executed coordinated searches across 11 premises on Tuesday.
Over 100 officers participated in the operation. Authorities seized several high-value vehicles, froze numerous bank accounts and imposed an asset restraint order valued at around €82 million. An arrest warrant was also executed.
Prosecutors allege that five suspects had operated internet-based gambling services without the required German licences from at least July 2021. The volume of bets placed on these platforms reportedly exceeded €5.8 billion between mid-2021 and the end of 2023.
In addition to illegal gambling, investigators suspect extensive tax evasion, with a projected tax shortfall of about €77.6 million for 2024.
DSWV: Raid exposes true scale of black market
The DSWV, representing licensed sports-betting operators, broadly welcomed the law enforcement action as a necessary response to the illegal market’s growth and associated risks.
“This successful investigation clearly demonstrates the scale that the illegal gambling market has now reached,” said Mathias Dahms, president of the DSWV.
Dahms highlighted the significant dangers unlicensed operators pose to player protection and the overall integrity of the licensed market. He cited the absence of controls such as deposit limits, identity verification and player suspension tools.
He also called for continued rigorous enforcement efforts alongside strict regulation to safeguard consumers, adding: “Anyone who wants to strengthen player protection must therefore consistently crack down on illegal services and strengthen legal ones.”
The DSWV said the findings should prompt a thorough reassessment of official black market size estimates in Germany.
DOCV demands federal licensing for online casino
The DOCV, another trade body representing licensed online casino operators in Germany, also expressed support for the prosecutorial efforts. However, it emphasised that the raid exposed regulatory gaps which had allowed organised crime to flourish.
Kevin O’Neal, a DOCV board member, argued the scale of the investigation calls the GGL’s broader black market estimates into question. He cited the regulator’s 2025 activity report, which put the 2024 share at 23% (€547 million in gross gaming revenue), against Nielsen data suggesting a share of around 56%.
The trade body has long been critical over the discrepancy between channelisation estimates made by the regulator, and other independent reviewers.
The DOCV reinforced its calls for a unified federal licensing regime for online casino games and stronger enforcement mechanisms against illegal operators.
An ongoing review of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling, which is meant to conclude by the end of this year, should introduce a nationwide licensing model for online casino games, the group added.
As part of the review, German regulators decided in July to lift the €1 staking limit on online slots, another signal that regulators are actively reassessing the framework ahead of the treaty’s formal review.
德国当局针对一起涉嫌非法在线赌博运营展开了大规模打击行动，该运营被怀疑在30个月期间协助促成了总额约58.6亿欧元的投注。
据德国新闻社报道，法兰克福检察院联合法兰克福税务调查部门、北莱茵-威斯特法伦州打击金融犯罪州办公室以及法兰克福警方，于周二在11处场所同步执行了搜查。
超过100名警员参与了此次行动。当局查扣了多辆高价值车辆，冻结了众多银行账户，并下达了价值约8200万欧元的资产限制令。此外还执行了一份逮捕令。
检方指控五名嫌疑人至少自2021年7月起，在未取得德国所需牌照的情况下运营互联网赌博服务。据报道，2021年年中至2023年底期间，这些平台上的投注总额超过58亿欧元。
除非法赌博外，调查人员还怀疑存在大规模逃税行为，预计2024年税收缺口约为7760万欧元。
DSWV：突袭行动揭露黑市真实规模
代表持牌体育博彩运营商的DSWV总体上对此次执法行动表示欢迎，认为这是对非法市场增长及相关风险的必要回应。
“这次成功的调查清楚地表明了非法赌博市场如今已达到的规模，”DSWV主席Mathias Dahms表示。
Dahms强调了无牌运营商对玩家保护和持牌市场整体诚信构成的重大危险。他列举了缺乏存款限额、身份验证和玩家暂停工具等管控措施的问题。
他还呼吁在严格监管的同时持续开展严厉执法，以保护消费者，并补充道：“因此，任何想要加强玩家保护的人，都必须持续打击非法服务并强化合法服务。”
DSWV表示，这些调查结果应促使对德国官方黑市规模估算进行全面重新评估。
DOCV要求对在线赌场实行联邦牌照制度
DOCV是另一个代表德国持牌在线赌场运营商的行业协会，也对检方的努力表示支持。不过，它强调此次突袭暴露了监管漏洞，使有组织犯罪得以滋生。
DOCV董事会成员Kevin O’Neal认为，此次调查的规模使GGL更广泛的黑市估算受到质疑。他援引了监管机构2025年活动报告，该报告将2024年的份额定为23%（博彩总收入5.47亿欧元），而Nielsen数据则显示份额约为56%。
该行业协会长期以来一直批评监管机构与其他独立评估方在渠道化估算方面存在的差异。
DOCV再次呼吁对在线赌场游戏实行统一的联邦牌照制度，并建立针对非法运营商的更强执法机制。
该组织补充说，目前正在进行的《州际赌博条约》审查预计将于今年年底完成，应引入全国性的在线赌场游戏牌照模式。
作为审查的一部分，德国监管机构于7月决定取消在线老虎机1欧元的投注限额，这再次表明监管机构正在条约正式审查之前积极重新评估该框架。