German authorities have carried out raids as part of an investigation into an alleged illegal gambling network. According to investigators, more than €5.8bn in bets were placed through online platforms linked to the suspects between July 2021 and the end of 2023.
Searches were carried out in Frankfurt and across the Rhine-Main region. Authorities targeted 11 properties, with more than 100 prosecutors, police officers and tax investigators involved in the operation.
Five people are under investigation. Prosecutors allege that they had been running online gambling operations without the required German licences since at least July 2021. The investigation is also looking into possible tax offences, with the estimated tax loss for 2024 alone put at around €77.6m.
Authorities seized assets worth around €82m, froze bank accounts and confiscated several high-value cars. An arrest warrant was also executed against one of the suspects.
The €5.8bn figure refers to the total betting volume processed through the platforms, not the operators' revenue.
Germany's black market back in focus
The raids have once again put the size of Germany's illegal online gambling market under the spotlight.
DSWV and DOCV, which represent licensed operators, argue that official estimates may not reflect the actual size of the black market.
And the figures vary considerably.
According to Germany's gambling regulator GGL, illegal operators accounted for around 23% of the country's online gambling market in 2024, equivalent to roughly €547m in GGR. Nielsen data cited by DOCV puts the share at around 56%.
That's a difference of almost 2.5 times.
The latest investigation, with €5.8bn in betting volume, does not prove that the Nielsen estimate is correct. But it does show why the size of Germany's black market remains a point of contention between regulators and the industry.
What happens next
Germany is preparing to review its current Interstate Treaty on Gambling. The assessment of the existing framework is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
While regulators and industry players continue to argue over the size of the illegal market, the percentages in those reports represent real platforms, real money and billions in bets placed outside Germany's licensing system.
The latest investigation adds another €5.8bn to the picture.
