Payment rules in Germany: GGL whitelist, LUGAS, credit ban

Three basic rules govern payments in online gambling in Germany: only operators with a German licence that appear on the whitelist of the Joint Gambling Authority of the German states (GGL) are permitted; deposits and withdrawals run only through a payment account in the player's own name; and operators may not lend money to players. On top of that comes a cross-operator deposit limit monitored by the LUGAS system.

GGL whitelist: which operators are permitted

Public gambling may only be organised or brokered with a licence from the competent state authority; unlicensed gambling and taking part in payments for it are prohibited (Section 4(1) of the State Treaty on Gambling 2021, GlüStV, gesetze-bayern.de, as of 06.10.2026). Under Section 9(8) GlüStV, the competent authority publishes a joint official list of all licensed operators and updates it at least once a month.

That list is the GGL whitelist. It can be filtered by type of game, including virtual slot games, online poker, sports betting and online casino games (gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, retrieved 06.10.2026). According to the GGL, licensed operators use .de domains only and display a GGL seal.

The terminology matters: online casino games in the narrow sense, meaning banked games such as roulette or blackjack, are regulated by the individual states. Slot operators with a GGL licence may not call themselves an “online casino”. According to the GGL FAQ, there were five such state concessions as of May 2025, in Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria.

The five brands covered here: licence information by source

None of the sources in our data set names a German licence for any of the five brands. They cite foreign licences, contradict each other or state that there is no licence at all.

• Playzilla: Anjouan Gaming Board according to AskGamblers (EN) / PAGCOR according to AskGamblers (DE) / no gambling licence according to casino.guru.
• Rolling Slots: Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), OGL/2024/589/0556, according to casino.guru.
• Playio: Tobique Gaming Commission according to AskGamblers / no official gambling licence according to casino.guru / Curaçao according to casinoohnelizenz.com (as of Dec. 2024). No source names a German licence; payment routes and limits are on the PlayiO payment methods page.
• Qbet: Tobique Gaming Commission, licence no. 0000087, according to AskGamblers. None of the sources names a German licence; deposit and withdrawal routes are on the Qbet payment methods page.
• AmunRa: Anjouan (Comoros) according to casino.guru and AskGamblers (EN) / PAGCOR according to AskGamblers (DE).

The sources disagree most sharply on Playzilla, a frequently searched brand. Anyone considering a deposit at Playzilla will find the payment methods and limits by source on that page, but none of those sources names a German licence.

Payment account in your own name, no anonymous payment methods

For licensed operators, Section 6b(4) GlüStV requires deposits and withdrawals to run only through a payment account held in the player's name at a credit or payment institution. Anonymous payment methods are not permitted in distance selling (gesetze-bayern.de, as of 06.10.2026).

The Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG) adds its own rules. Organisers and brokers of gambling are obliged entities under Section 2(1) no. 15 GwG. Online gambling is subject to the special provisions of Section 16 GwG: deposits only by direct debit, bank transfer or payment card from a payment account in the player's name (a bank transfer at the casino is therefore one of the expressly named routes), with an exception only up to €25 per transaction and €100 per calendar month (Section 16(4) GwG). For e-money and prepaid instruments, such as a Paysafecard account, the holder must be the same person as the holder of the player account (Section 16(6) GwG). Withdrawals may only go to a payment account in the player's name (Section 16(7) GwG; gesetze-im-internet.de, as of 07.10.2026).

Cryptocurrencies do not appear in that Section 16 GwG list. According to casino.guru, all five brands list cryptocurrencies among their deposit methods; how you deposit with crypto there is covered on the dedicated page.

If a player at a licensed operator changes their bank details, withdrawals may only go to the previously registered account until the new details have been verified (Section 6a GlüStV). Before the player's details are confirmed, withdrawals are generally not permitted (Section 6a(4) GlüStV). How casino withdrawals work for each payment method, with route, timing and limits, is covered on the dedicated page.

LUGAS: one deposit limit across all operators

When opening an account, every player must set an individual monthly deposit limit that applies to all licensed operators combined. As a rule it may not exceed €1,000 per month, and without a limit there is no play (Section 6c(1) GlüStV 2021, as of 06.10.2026). An increase only takes effect after a protection period of seven days; a reduction applies without delay.

The limit is monitored in LUGAS, the cross-state supervisory system made up of a limit file and an activity file. According to the GGL, the limit resets on the first day of each month, and failed payments count towards it as well. A raised limit of up to €10,000 per month requires inconspicuous playing behaviour and documented financial capacity; above €10,000 and up to €30,000 it is available to no more than 1 % of active players per operator (GGL FAQ, retrieved 06.10.2026).

The LUGAS limit caps deposits only, not withdrawals; the dedicated page explains the procedure, increases and the role of the activity file in detail. In addition, licensed operators must offer their own daily, weekly or monthly stake, deposit and loss limits (Section 6c(2) GlüStV).

Credit ban: no gambling on borrowed money

Operators and third parties acting for them may not grant loans to players, nor advertise or link to loans on their domain (Section 4(5) no. 2 GlüStV, as of 06.10.2026). Section 6b(5) GlüStV also prohibits transfers of money or game points between player accounts and explicitly restates the credit ban.

This concerns the relationship between operator and player. Section 16(4) GwG expressly lists the payment card as a permitted deposit method; our collection of legal provisions contains no rule that excludes credit cards in general.

At licensed operators, player balances must be held separately from the operator's own funds in trust accounts and protected against insolvency (Section 6b(6) GlüStV). When a player account is closed, the balance must be transferred within five working days at the latest, with no fees for closure or payout (Section 6b(7) GlüStV).

Your bank asks about a withdrawal

Behind searches such as “online casino withdrawal Sparkasse” is usually the question of whether your own bank will ask about or examine a casino payout. None of the provisions in our collection sets out how an individual bank, Sparkasse or otherwise, handles this; they do explain why such payments stand out.

• Payment reference: under Section 16(7) sentences 2–3 GwG, withdrawals must carry a payment reference that makes the reason for the payment recognisable to outsiders; supervisory authorities may set standard wording for this (gesetze-im-internet.de, as of 07.10.2026).
• Payment ban: after giving notice, the gambling supervisor can prohibit banks and payment service providers from taking part in payments for unlicensed gambling and in payouts from it (Section 9(1) no. 4 GlüStV, as of 06.10.2026).
• Due diligence: gambling operators must identify their contractual partners and monitor business relationships and transactions, including with regard to the origin of funds (Section 10(1) GwG).

Getting money back: what the law says and what is still open

Under Section 762 of the German Civil Code (BGB), gaming and betting create no enforceable obligation, but what has been paid cannot be reclaimed for that reason alone. Under Section 134 BGB, a legal transaction that violates a statutory prohibition is void (gesetze-im-internet.de, as of 07.10.2026). Whether this applies to contracts with operators without a German licence is the subject of ongoing proceedings.

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) is handling the lead-decision procedure I ZR 216/25: a player is claiming back €10,092 in losses from online casino games played between 2020 and 2022 from an operator without a German licence; the lower courts ruled in his favour, and the hearing took place on 17.09.2026 (BGH press release 086/2026, retrieved 06.10.2026). That source names no judgment, so the outcome remains open.

Payments from your own bank account are also subject to payment services law, for example the refund of unauthorised payments (Section 675u BGB) or the eight-week refund period for SEPA core direct debits (Section 675x BGB). Whether and under what conditions you can recover money paid via Sofortüberweisung, and how this works for credit cards, is set out by payment method on the dedicated page.

Where to turn with a specific problem

The GGL accepts reports about unlicensed gambling, unlawful advertising, irregularities at licensed operators and suspected money laundering. By its own account, it is not responsible for civil claims such as the payout of balances (gluecksspiel-behoerde.de, retrieved 06.10.2026). The European Consumer Centre Germany points out that operators mostly do not cooperate with it.

For a refused withdrawal, a refund claim or an account restriction by the bank, the route therefore remains a consumer advice centre or a lawyer. Anyone who feels that gambling is getting out of control can get free counselling from BIÖG on 0800 1 37 27 00 and can apply for a self-exclusion through the OASIS blocking system run by the Regional Council of Darmstadt.