The betting market as a sector of the German gambling industry

Article by Martin Oelbermann

The betting sector currently makes up 5%-10% of the total gambling market

Betting and gambling turnover in the German market amounts to ca. Euro 30-31 billion annually. The betting sector currently makes up 5%-10% of the total gambling market.

Structure of the betting market – changes included

Since several years many things have changed in regards to the structure of the German betting market. In the past the punter only had a chance to bet with two (more or less exiting) state offers and some heavy punters found their way to the limited number of private horse betting operators.

Now everything has changed and the bettors have a variety of betting operators to choose from:

State offers Oddset and Tote – The state lottery corporations that are united in the Deutsche Lotto-Totoblock (DLTB) offer two types of sports betting products: Oddset and Toto. About 85% of the DLTB´s turnover in the sports betting sector comes from Oddset.

Licenses from the former German Democratic Republic – 4 betting licenses that have retained at least partial validity through the unification treaty.

Brokers – Brokers working with licensees of the former German Democratic Republic or with foreign license holders make up the largest part of the market.

Horse bookmakers -Traditional horse betting is entirely in private hands but is becoming less relevant in the market.

Online operators – In part this category consists of the Internet sales channel of the operators listed above. However, the Internet also makes it possible for many foreign operators to establish themselves in the German market.

Need more information?

You can find more information in MECN’s latest study „The German betting market in transition.“ Here you can download the brochure about the study; alternatively, visit www.wettmarkt.mecn.net for more information.