Coordinated raids target major alleged illegal online gambling operation in Germany
More than 100 officers were involved in searches across 11 sites in a major operation against an illegal online gambling operation allegedly active since 2021.
Germany.- Prosecutors have carried out a raid against what they allege was a large-scale illegal online gambling network. The Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office coordinated the action with the city’s tax investigation unit, the State Office for the Combat of Financial Crime in North Rhine‑Westphalia and Frankfurt police.
More than 100 officers were involved in searches conducted across 11 sites on Tuesday (September 8). Luxury vehicles were seized and multiple bank accounts frozen. Authorities also issued an asset restraint order valued at €82m and arrest warrants were issued for five people who officers believe were running online gambling services without German licences since at least July 2021, with betting volumes surpassing €5.8bn between mid‑2021 and the end of 2023 alone.
The public prosecutor’s office also stated that the accused are suspected of failing to fully or at all pay taxes due on the gambling activities conducted through the entire period of operation. The tax loss for 2024 alone is estimated at €77.6m.
Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV), the trade body that represents licensed sports‑betting operators, warned that the operation showed the scale of illegal gambling in Germany.” Its president, Mathias Dahms, urged legislators that want to strengthen player protection to “consistently crack down on illegal services and strengthen legal ones”.
Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV) board member Kevin O’Neal echoed that sentiment and reiterated the association’s scepticism over the estimates provided by federal gambling regulator, the GGL, regarding the size of Germany’s gambling black market estimates. While the GGL’s 2025 activity report estimated that 23 per cent of gross gambling revenue generated in Germany went to unlicensed operators in 2024, data from Nielsen suggested the proportion was 56 per cent.
The trade body reiterated its demand for a unified federal licensing system for online casino games and tougher measures against illegal operators. It pointed to the ongoing review of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling, due to conclude by year‑end, as the opportunity for reforms.
