German State Lottery Sales Surpass €4bn in H1

Germany’s 16 state lotteries have seen total sales rise by 15.3 per cent, to exceed €4bn (£3.44bn/$4.73bn) in the first half of 2021, with €1.6bn being returned to state budgets.

The figures released by the German Lotto and Totoblock (DLTB) also revealed that 87 players won prizes of €1m or more in the first half of this year and 434 won prizes of at least €100,000.

Lotto 6aus49 was the most popular game with stakes of €2.05bn, which were up 15.3 per cent year-on-year.

Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz managing director Jürgen Häfner, currently heading the DLTB, commented on the uplift in revenues. “That means around €61.5m per week flows to public services. Without this money, a lot of things would not be possible”, he said.

Commenting on the German State Treaty on Gambling, which came into effect on 1 July Häfner added: “The state parliaments have consistently spoken out in favour of the new gaming regulation with clear cross-party majorities.

“Overall, around 90 per cent of all state parliament members voted in favour of the State Treaty. This comprehensive political consensus is a great success.”

The treaty enables online casino products to be made available across all of Germany for the first time, but there are also stringent player protection regulations. These include a €1 spin cap on slots and a €1,000 deposit limit across all operators.

Meanwhile, online slots and poker are subject to a 5.3 per cent tax on stakes, which has been challenged by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and German trade association Deutsche Sportwettenverband (DSWV).

Häfner backed the treaty’s player protection measures and said: “We guarantee effective player and youth protection as well as an effective fight against addiction, and we welcome the preservation and strengthening of the lottery monopoly.”