Germany is undoubtedly at the epicenter of esports in Europe, and multiple teams have their headquarters there. This created a perfect market for esports betting, and a ton of betting sites are using this momentum to offer their betting services to the German bettors who are looking for this new form of entertainment.
Billions of dollars are flowing in and out of gambling sites, and more and more are catering to esports bettors’ needs. In this article, we will explore the size of the German esports betting scene and why it is such a suitable place for gambling.
Full List Of The Best German Esports Betting Sites
Although Germany has stricter regulations regarding esports betting than many other countries, this hasn’t stopped companies from joining the lucrative market of German gambling. There are a lot of respectable esports betting sites operating legally in the country.
Popular online gambling sites like Stake, GG.Bet, and Duelbits are attracting millions of Germans that have caught the esports betting fever. However, these are only one small part of the numerous online betting sites you can access in Germany, and even though they are not German betting sites, they meet the requirements to conduct business in Germany.
The gambling regulations are constantly changing, and sometimes it is hard to find betting sites that are permitted in any country. But with the help of our experts, we have put together a list of the best esports betting sites in Germany, perfect for anyone who wants to get into betting on esports.
Online Esports Betting In Germany
With all the esports tournaments happening around the world, many games have reached levels of fame equivalent to traditional sports. And if there is one thing that is certain, Germans love their esports.
Approximately 20% of Germans have reportedly placed a bet online. This means that 12 million people are familiar with online gambling, and many are interested in esports betting. Although there are not a lot of solid statistics regarding esports betting in Germany, it is clear that it is a huge market and many sportsbooks are understandably willing to go through the trouble of getting a license to operate in Germany.
The way that Germans bet on esports is through popular online bookies that have a permit to provide their services in Germany.
The Most Popular Esports In Germany
The most famous esports games in Germany are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, FIFA, StarCraft II, Rocket League, and Heroes of the Storm. It’s evident that Germans love to compete in esports, and there are hundreds of teams and esports professionals, many of whom are internationally famous.
CS:GO is arguably the most famous esports title in Germany, with millions of fans across the country. Some of the most notable German esports organizations are PENTA, MOUZ, SK Gaming, BIG, Sprout, and ALTERNATE aTTaX. All of those teams have achieved considerable international success, namely BIG, who are regular attendees of CS:GO Majors and one of the best teams in the world.
League of Legends is another massive esports title the German community has embraced. And while there aren’t as many world-class German LoL esports teams, BIG, MOUZ, and Unicorns Of Love Sexy Edition have all achieved reasonable success in the second division of Europe’s LoL competitive ecosystem.
Notably, even a prominent German football club, Schalke 04 Esports, has fielded an LoL European Championship (LEC) team, Schalke 04 Esports, which disbanded at the end of 2021 due to the club’s financial problems.
Still, even though German esports organizations are no longer involved in the League’s top tier of the competitive scene, Germany is home to many excellent LoL players. The list includes Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage, Maurice “Amazing” Stückenschneider, Elias “Upset” Lipp, Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik, and Norman “Kaiser” Kaiser.
Dota 2 is not as popular as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in Germany, but the country has fostered a handful of Dota 2 pro players who have reached the status of legends, namely Adrian “Fata” Trinks and Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, who placed second in The International 2019 with Team Liquid.
Is It Legal To Bet On Esports In Germany?
Yes, it is legal to bet on esports in Germany, although it may be safer to say that esports betting is not illegal. But if you find a Germany-based platform that offers betting markets for video game tournaments, you can place bets without any problems.
The responsibility lies with the betting platform to comply with all the gambling regulations of Germany. Before July 2021, federal law forbade any form of online gambling. However, thanks to a special experimentation clause, individual states were permitted to enable the brokerage of lotteries and the organization of sports betting via the Internet, but under very strict conditions.
This changed with the new State Treaty on Gaming (GlüStV) that applies in Germany from July 1, 2021. Now companies are permitted to operate online betting websites as long as they meet very specific requirements.
Some of the basic conditions are that no minors (under 18) are allowed, proof of reliability and expertise of the people responsible for the betting platform, and evidence of financial and technological capability to run online gambling following the legislative standards.
The problem is that there is nothing expressly stated about esports betting in the GlüStV, so it remains a gray area. But since the number of online gambling sites is bound to increase, it is safe to assume that esports bettors are guaranteed to have many new options to choose from.
Future of Esports Betting In Germany
To say that the future of esports betting in Germany is bright would be a complete understatement. It’s already a big industry that is expected to grow both in popularity and size, thanks to the new regulations.
In addition, an ever-increasing number of players is getting familiar with the idea of esports as an equally “worthy” form of entertainment, with more than 40% of the population defining themselves as gamers.
The online betting industry in Germany is worth approximately €2.8bn, and it is expected to grow to €3.3bn by 2024. Therefore, Esports betting is set to play an ever-increasing role in the iGaming world, and as more people are being drawn to the games, the services provided by the betting platforms will get better and better.
How To Choose The Best Esports Betting Sites In Germany?
Considering how many teams and pro esports players hail from Germany, it is natural that you might get inspired to place esports bets, but you might not know how to recognize a good online betting site from a subpar one. To do so, you just have to look at some basic features that the best online bookmakers should have
The safety of a sportsbook is the first thing you should check before you decide to start betting on it. In Germany, only websites with legitimate gambling licenses are allowed to operate, but there are still cases where a betting platform might try to “trick” its users. Therefore, Google research about a company’s past is necessary to uncover any skeletons in the bookies’ closet.
One of the most important things you should look at before deciding on an esports betting site is its esports betting odds offer. It is essential that the bookmaker can offer you competitive odds, and it’s always advantageous that it can provide you with better prices than other esports betting sites. So compare the pre-match and live betting odds with other trustable bookmakers to ensure you are getting the better end of the deal.
Don’t forget to look at the amount of betting markets the online sports betting site can provide you with. When it comes to esports, many bookies claim to offer esports odds for League of Legends, while in reality, they offer only the most basic bet types, such as moneyline. You should avoid any sportsbook that doesn’t give multiple betting options.
How To Sign Up At A German Esports Betting Site
Once you have found a good esports betting site that can cover your gambling needs and check all the marks of a good bookmaker mentioned above, you will need to create an account. Thankfully the sign-up process on most betting websites is straightforward, and you can complete it in just a few minutes
To sign up on any online betting website, you have to follow these steps.
- Go to the bookmaker’s home page
- Click on the register/sign up/join now button that is located on the top right of the website
- Complete the registration progress by filling in your personal information
- Done!
During registration, you can add a promo code. So before you sign up, you should check our website to see if we have an offer for the website you want to create an account with. That way, you can earn some juicy rewards, such as extra deposit bonuses or free bets.
Payment Methods At German Esports Betting Sites
Germany is a technologically advanced country, and as one, the payment methods available for the people are numerous.
The most famous payment options on German esports betting sites are debit/credit card (VISA, Maestro, Mastercard), SEPA bank transfers, Neteller, Skrill, Sofort, Paypal, Trustly. Moreover, some betting sites also accept crypto, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and others are accepted by many sportsbooks.
The most popular payment option among Germans is a debit/credit card. But even though cards do the majority of the transactions, this doesn’t mean that it is the best option since there are various drawbacks such as exhausting KYC procedures and strict transaction limits.
The best payment methods available in Germany are e-wallets. This is because the transactions are executed immediately, and most betting sites offer higher limits for choosing these methods. It used to be that these payment channels didn’t have the strictest “Know You Customer” policies, which is why many users preferred them, but that is no longer the case.
As of 2021, any gambling site operating in Germany must implement a strong KYC procedure before authorizing any withdrawals. That is done to combat money laundering, which is widespread in the gambling industry.
Mobile Esports Betting & Betting Apps In Germany
If being forced to sit in front of a computer screen whenever you want to do some betting sounds like torture, you are not the only one. Many people enjoy betting on their mobile phones because it is always accessible. They don’t need to stay home to bet on the match they want.
In Germany especially, bookmakers are seeing a meteoric rise in traffic from mobile phones. That is why most betting sites have ensured that there are comfortable ways to access their website through a mobile phone.
Luckbox, for example, has an excellent mobile betting application that works on most Android and IOS devices. It has a very user-friendly interface that makes the betting experience a real pleasure. All the necessary features for betting are there, from in-play betting to various betting options. Moreover, the application is available in many languages, including German.
If no live stream is available for the match you want to watch, you can watch the game on a different device while placing bets from the application on your phone.
Even if your betting site doesn’t have a dedicated mobile application, you can be sure that you can still use it on your mobile phone. Any good esports betting site will have a website optimized for mobile browsers. Of course, the experience is not as good as it can be with an application, but you can still bet on the games you enjoy if you don’t have any other option.
German Esports Live Betting & Live Streaming
If you are an esports bettor but you haven’t tried the thrill of live betting, then you are missing out on the time of your life. Pre-match betting is always interesting, and it makes every match extra spicy since you have your money on the line. Well, in-play betting is that but for every minute of the game.
You might be watching the game live and see a great opportunity for a bet. This can happen during any moment of the match, so if you are in for some extra excitement and your heart can take it, then live betting will enhance your experience significantly. It is clear that Germans love betting live since a big majority of German bettors prefer these bets.
The best and only way to do live betting is by watching a live stream of the match. Any good esports betting site will have live streaming available since it costs them nothing, even if it doesn’t offer any live betting markets, esports tournaments are always broadcasted for free on Twitch or YouTube, and it is not difficult for a bookmaker to host the stream in its website.
Since there is such a big esports audience in Germany, you can also find a live stream in German.
Esports vs Sports Betting
There is no doubt that sports betting is where most of the focus goes from German gamblers, but esports betting is a tidal wave that is coming and cannot be ignored. For bettors already familiar with traditional sports, switching to esports is not complicated. The betting rules are the same and some of the techniques for sports betting work for esports as well.
On the other hand, the esports betting markets are very volatile, and sometimes it can be hard to make informed decisions about a match. Yes, some teams are much more skilled than others, but the difference is not big enough to create certain results. This can make betting very exciting but very stressful at the same time.
The audiences are different for esports and sports betting. Sports betting focuses mostly on people over 24, mainly males, while esports betting has a strong audience between the ages of 18-24 and is more gender-balanced. In addition, Esports betting is a more accessible form of entertainment meant to be enjoyed by everyone.
Germany Overview
Germany is one of the richest countries in the world, with a strong online betting industry, despite all the obstacles put by the various regulations. The number of esports bettors is increasing, and the projections indicate that it will keep doing so at an exponential rate.
As the home of many League of Legends teams and of the LEC, Germany has become the center of the European betting scene, not only for LoL but for all the popular esports worldwide.
More and more online gambling sites are considering trying to penetrate the German betting industry and meet the needs of millions of users. There are already some pretty big sportsbooks operating in the country (GG.Bet and Stake), but more are expected to come thanks to the new regulations.
If you want to get a quick overview of what it means to do esports betting in Germany, the list below has all the information you might need.
- The capital of Germany is Berlin, and some of the biggest cities in the country are Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, and Essen.
- The official and most spoken language in Germany is German.
- The official currency of Germany is Euro.
- The most popular online payment methods for German betting sites are Paypal, Sofort, Girocard debit and credit cards, and bank transfers.
- The most popular esports in Germany are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, FIFA, Dota 2, and StarCraft II.
- The most popular esports players from Germany are Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage (League of Legends), Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi (Dota 2), Florian “syrsoN” Rische (CS:GO), Mohammed “Mo_aubameyang” Harkous (FIFA).
- Some of the most popular esports competitions in Germany are the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), ESL One series, and Intel Extreme Master Cologne.
- 76% of Germans have heard of digital sports.
- The German iGaming market grew by 6.7% in the year 2022.
Final Words
It is a fact that esports betting is still young in Germany, but there is already the basis for a very active and lucrative betting market. Germans can enjoy gambling on many famous websites, and more are joining the field.
If you are considering joining the German betting scene, there is no time like the present. You will get a good headstart in a betting scene that will become mainstream in a few years. Join the global sensation of esports betting, and you are guaranteed to have the time of your life.
FAQ
Can you bet on esports in Germany?
Yes, you can bet on esports in Germany. Even though it is not explicitly stated in the law that esports betting is legal, millions of bettors have been enjoying it without any problem. It is very easy to create an account and start betting on any of the trustable betting platforms operating in Germany.
What betting sites can I use in Germany?
There is a plethora of betting sites that are operating legally in Germany. You can use betting sites like Stake, GG.Bet, Duelbits, and Unibet do bet on any esports title you want.
Can I bet online in Germany?
Yes, you can bet online in Germany on any of the betting sites that offer their services to Germans. After the new State Treaty on Gaming (GlüStV) that applies from the 1st of July 2021, it has become much easier for sportsbooks to operate legally in Germany.
What is the legal age for gambling in Germany?
The legal age for gambling in Germany is strictly 18, and it is illegal for sportsbooks to allow betting for anyone that is under that age. For this reason, bookmakers are forced to employ KYC procedures.
