Official language: German
Population: 82,060,000
Currency: Euro (EUR)

Current Exchange Rate
1 GBP = 1.0681 EUR
1 USD = 0.6754 EUR

Sports Betting in Germany
German sports betting has been very popular through the years, especially when it comes to football. Even though sports betting in Germany is fully legal, there is currently a state-run monopoly called OddBet controlling all legal bookmakers. This might be changing soon, however, as pressure from the EU may force Germany to open up the world of betting on sports to other companies.

Horse race betting is also popular in Germany. There are over 50 horse tracks across the country. Again, all bets placed at the tracks are currently controlled by OddBet. Germans are often frustrated by this lack of choice, and welcome the pressure form the EU. Also, since sports betting in Germany is a multi-billion euro a year industry, new bookmakers would love to see some of the profit.

Online Sports Betting in Germany
German online sportsbooks have been facing a similar situation. OddBet is the only German internet betting provider that is allowed by law. However, because the German government has no jurisdiction in other countries, foreign sportsbooks have tried to move in and take a piece of the action. One, called Bwin, has been especially successful, and has gained a huge following in Germany. Bwin does not have to pay German taxes, so it is capable of offering better odds than Oddbet.

Germany tried to keep Bwin from dealing with German customers in an attempt to drive them off. This was opposed by the EU, and in November of 2007, the Administrative Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Bwin. This opened doors for other companies to come into the scene, and today, German players are accepted at a number of online sportsbooks – there are even some offered in the German language.