Online casinos without a German licence remain available and playable. Many players prefer these gambling sites because they operate without restrictions. It seems like only advantages: more bonuses, higher payout rates and a larger game selection. But is that true, and is it safe? Learn everything about the regulation of international casinos.
Top list of online casinos without a German licence
The selection of online casinos with international licences is huge. For our recommendations we tested the gambling sites thoroughly. Here are our results:
What is an online casino without a German licence?
There are many different regulatory authorities that issue licences for operating an online casino. Some of these refer only to a specific country, while others are usable internationally.
In July 2021 the new German State Treaty on Gambling was introduced, which created the framework for online gambling offerings in Germany. With it came some restrictions that correspondingly licensed online casinos must implement.
At the same time, players can continue to play at casinos licensed in Malta, at Curacao casinos etc. These offer more freedoms and come with almost no restrictions.
Online casino without a licence ≠ online casino without a German licence
Even without the German GGL licence, most online providers are state-regulated, for example via the Maltese authority or a Canadian regulator. The label "casino without a licence" is therefore in most cases not precise.
Casinos with and without German regulation at a glance
Casinos with a German license
Casinos without a German license
Deposit limit
€1000 deposit limit/month
No fixed deposit limit
Bet limit
€1 limit per spin
No fixed limit, €20+ per spin possible
Game flow
5-second pause on the spin
No fixed limit, €20+ per spin possible
Payout rate
RTP 87%-91%
RTP 93%-97%
Bonus
Welcome bonus up to €100, no regular reload bonus
Welcome packages up to over €1000, weekly reload bonus and cashback
Payment methods
5-8 payment methods
5-10 payment methods including crypto
Games
Only selected slots, no jackpots or table games, little variety. About 1,000 games
Slots, jackpots, live casino, Plinko, video poker, etc. About 10,000 games
Responsible gambling
Voluntary limits & self-exclusion easily possible
No OASIS block, voluntary limits and blocking only adjustable by some casinos themselves
Account verification
Account must be verified immediately via video procedure
Document proof at the first withdrawal is sufficient
Demand is rising: search queries for online casinos without a German license
That internationally regulated providers are becoming increasingly popular is reflected in user behavior. Here you can see an example overview of Google searches for the term 'online casino without a German license':
Thanks to the strict German requirements: Over the past years the search volume for online casinos without a German license has risen sharply.
Safety: Online casinos without a license in the fraud test
With a German license many players assume that operators are automatically safe, reliable and 100% reputable. According to this assumption, online casinos without a German license are considered questionable and should be approached with caution and are wrongly classified as unregulated providers.
What is important for casinos without a German license is the casino fraud test. This way you can ensure that you only play with reputable providers.
International gambling licenses
License
Description
Best casino
Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
This EU casino license enjoys a good reputation due to its strict requirements. Transparency, fairness and player protection are given high priority.
Casino without DE license = Casino without LUGAS and OASIS
LUGAS is the cross-border gambling supervision system. All casinos licensed in Germany are represented there and must store information such as player blocks and limits.
The system is quite controversial for data protection reasons, which is why many players are looking for online casinos without LUGAS .
Casinos without a license from Germany are not connected to the LUGAS system.
In addition to casinos, arcades and betting providers, German online casinos are also connected to the central blocking file OASIS.
I can have myself blocked.
But I can also be blocked by friends, relatives or the casino.
The OASIS block to lift, is only possible after the respective period has expired.
Online casinos with EU or international licenses are not affected by this block. These are always casinos without OASIS.
Bonus comparison: with and without DE license
Also on the topic of casino bonus there are small and large differences.
Bonus amount and frequency
In online casinos under German regulation, there are mainly offers for welcome. These are usually a deposit bonus. The maximum bonus amount is €100, this is a fixed rule.
In casinos without a German license the bonuses come higher and more frequently.
The rare no-deposit casino bonus is also more common at casinos without a German license.
Anyone who thinks that the conditions under the German flag are fundamentally fairer is mistaken. In this respect, casinos are not given any specific requirements. Infinitely high wagering requirements? They're allowed! And Germany does not impose any cap on winnings either.
Of course you must also check with international providers whether a bonus is really fair and offers real added value. German and international online casinos do not differ much in this respect.
Overview table of casino bonuses with and without a German license
In casinos with GGL license
In casinos without a German license
High bonus amounts
❌No
✔️Yes
Wagering requirements under 60x bonus amount
✔️Almost always
➖Partly
Winning limit from bonus
✔️Almost never
➖Partly
Weekly reload bonus for everyone
❌No
✔️Often
Bonus in online casinos without a German license
If you want to play without the GGL license, you don't have to forgo bonus offers. In fact, the bonuses are even larger.
One main reason players choose foreign casinos is the game selection. After all, there are no restrictions, so the variety is much greater.
Slots
The usually larger game collection, which often includes well over 1,000 slots, comes with a small downside. Titles known from arcades are rarely offered in international casinos. Instead, we encounter big names like:
NetEnt
Betsoft
Pragmatic Play
NoLimit City
Red Tiger
Certain games like Bonanza Megaways and Reactoonz are also more common under international licences.
(Big) Jackpots
Progressive jackpots do not exist in German casinos. So if you want to play one of the following multi-million slots, you can only do so at international casinos without a German license:
You can only hit the Mega Moolah jackpot in casinos without a German license
Live dealer games
Table games are also only available in casinos without German regulation. Why roulette, blackjack and the other “major” casino games are banned is not exactly clear. The fact is: only operators without a GGL license may offer live dealer games, such as:
Roulette
Blackjack
Poker (3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino Hold’em)
Baccarat (including the Dragon Tiger variant)
Dice games like Super Sic Bo and Craps
The Indian card games Teen Patti and Andar-Bahar
At SpinsBro (reviews) you’ll find familiar but also very rare live dealer games
Play without limits
As already mentioned, you can play in international online casinos without the familiar restrictions. International casinos only have to comply with the requirements of their respective licensing authorities.
No €1 stake limit
You can generally bet up to €100 per spin on slots. In the live casino, table limits are sometimes (for certain bets) significantly higher.
At some roulette and blackjack tables, bets of several thousand euros at once are possible.
No deposit limit
You also won’t find a monthly deposit limit at an international online casino. At gambling sites without a German license you can sometimes deposit or withdraw €4,000 and more per transaction. It is also possible to top up your player account multiple times in succession with large amounts.
Depending on the casino, voluntary deposit limits are available that you can set yourself or request from customer support.
The delay caused by the 5-second rule also does not apply internationally. The game runs smoothly and is not interrupted by forced pauses. If you wish, some casinos also let you enable auto-play.
Taxes and payout rate
Taxes on bets also do not apply without a German license. This gives operators room for higher payout rates and leaves scope for one bonus offer or another.
Of course every online casino has to pay taxes. In other countries these usually apply only to business profits, not to players’ stakes.
Better return to player (payout rate)
Are the winnings higher? Thanks to the tax advantage, the average payout rate of casino slots can consistently be between 92% and 97%. There is no need to raise the house edge. So you can expect better returns. In GGL casinos the RTP is only 80% to 90%.
The payout rate in casinos with a GGL license (84.44%, left) is significantly lower than in Spinight Casino (96.31%, right)
Higher maximum win
The maximum possible win is also better. Those who play big can win big (but don’t forget: you can also lose big). High possible wins mean, in particular for progressive jackpots, million-euro payouts.
Payment methods in a casino without a German license
The differences in casino payment methods are not huge, but they do exist.
Deposit and withdraw in euros
Regardless of the license, the euro is almost always available as a currency. Usually you can choose these payment methods:
Online banking via Sofortüberweisung, Trustly or other platforms
Online wallets Neteller, MiFinity, Apple Pay and Jeton
Prepaid voucher codes via Cashlib and Flexepin
Credit cards like MasterCard, Maestro and Visa
Bitcoin and other cryptos
Crypto casinos are now only licensed by a few regulators. Most of these have a license from Curaçao or Kahnawake. Common ones are:
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Litecoin (LTC)
Ethereum (ETH)
Dogecoin (DOGE)
Advantages
More choice of games including jackpots and live dealer games, but also well-known slots like Starburst
No stake or deposit limits
Fewer restrictions, e.g. no 5-second rule
No taxes/Better payout rate
Better bonus
More anonymity
Disadvantages
Worse overview of wins and losses
Sometimes win limits from bonus offers
Lack of responsible gambling tools like voluntary limits and a comprehensive account lock
Heavily restricted advertising options
Conclusion on online casinos without a German license
There are reasons to play at a casino regulated under German law. However, for most players, online casinos without a German license are more attractive. Due to the excessive regulatory framework that casinos must submit to with the German authorities, playing ultimately becomes noticeably less enjoyable.
Germans are internationally known for their regulatory zeal. It fits the cliché that this overly harsh approach is now driving players into the arms of international providers.
➨ Our analysis shows: Online casinos without a German license are neither more nor less reputable than those with German approval. We should not confuse an international concession with a casino lacking any state regulation.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about casinos without a German license
The situation is confusing, but many experts assume that an international gambling license is also valid. The online casinos do not hide; they operate their websites openly and are not prevented from doing so.
How this will look in the future cannot be predicted right now, but currently there are many casinos without a German license that offer their website in German.
Yes, at almost all providers you can play progressive jackpot slots and live casino tables. Often there are very large jackpot amounts as well as several roulette and blackjack tables. Plinko is also only available in international casinos.
Casinos are always bound only by the requirements of their own license. And international licenses do not impose limits on allowed bet sizes or deposits.
There are indeed a few dubious providers. For this reason we test like mad and weed out unreliable casinos. For example, most online casinos without verification are unsafe.
Yes. At casinos with international licenses, bonuses sometimes pour onto players like a waterfall. At the top of our best list in this article we have included some information about the respective offers directly.
Daniel
Autor
Zwar war ich schon früh hier und da in Spielotheken und Wettshops, doch so richtig kam ich erst durch die Arbeit ans Glücksspiel. Seit über 10 Jahren...
