Germany offers most detailed look yet into lottery prominence

Social lotteries in Germany are known to be popular, but quarterly data now reveals just how much.

For the first time since it was established in 2021, Germany’s regulator Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) published quarterly data on national revenue from bets made on games of chance.

One of two categories, social lotteries (charity) saw a solid performance across the first two quarters of 2025. Revenue for Q1 was €315m, dropping slightly but still remaining strong at €313m in Q2.

The other category is class lotteries, which are managed by the state. Revenue there was €61m for Q1, dwindling to €58m in the second quarter. Merging both sections shows that total lottery revenue was €377m in Q1 and €371m in Q2.

New era of market reports

August saw GGL publish its first quarterly market analysis, constructed with data from licensed operators.

The regulator highlighted that this new method of reporting will bring stakeholders, policy makers, and the public a better understanding of local market trends and developments, which would then lead to more robust future policy.

Besides lotteries, the report also featured national revenue from high-risk games, which mainly include online offers under the GlüStV 2021 regime.

Slots and online betting dominate charts

For Q1, revenue from virtual slot games stood at €1bn, growing to more than €1.1bn in Q2. Online poker came in at a more modest €204m for the three months ending Match, only to go down to €184m in the next quarter. Meanwhile, online horse betting went up to €32m in Q2 from €25m in Q1.

Online sports betting saw the biggest quarterly revenue, landing at €1.6bn in Q1 and slightly lower at €1.4bn in Q2. Retail sports betting also slowed down in the summer, going from €585m in Q1 to €494m in Q2. The combined total of ‘high-risk’ revenue came at €3.5bn in Q1 and €3.2bn in Q2.

https://lotterydaily.com/2025/08/18/business/germany-lotteries/