# How we rank online slot sites in Germany

> We only rank slot sites on the GGL whitelist. Each is scored from 0 to 10 on six weighted criteria, licensing and safety, games, payments and payouts, app and experience, responsible gambling, and support, and the ranking follows the overall scores. We don't list or score bonuses, which need the GGL's approval to be advertised, and our links to slot sites only work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., as German law requires.

- URL: https://safebet.ai/de/online-casinos/how-we-rank/
- Markdown version: https://safebet.ai/de/online-casinos/how-we-rank/index.html.md
- Last updated: 2026-10-22 (re-checked when an operator changes its terms or a regulator or court acts)
- Author: SafeBet.ai Research Team (SafeBet.ai)
- Notice: Advertising. SafeBet.ai may be paid by the operators shown when you register through our links. We only link to slot sites on the GGL whitelist. 18+ only. German law bans online slot and casino advertising from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., so our links to them only work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., German time.
- Statutory warning: Glücksspiel kann süchtig machen. Die Teilnahme ist erst ab 18 Jahren erlaubt. Kostenlose und anonyme Hilfe: www.check-dein-spiel.de oder 0800 1 37 27 00. (English: Gambling can be addictive. You must be 18 or over to take part. Free, anonymous help: www.check-dein-spiel.de or 0800 1 37 27 00.)
- Editorial policy and advertiser disclosure: https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/

## Key takeaways

- Eligibility first: only sites on the GGL whitelist qualify; offshore sites are never ranked.
- Six criteria, fixed weights: licensing and safety 25%, games 20%, payments and payouts 20%, app and experience 15%, responsible gambling 10%, support 10%.
- Table games count only where a state licenses them: Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria.
- No bonuses: a German licensee may only advertise a bonus the GGL has approved, so we don't list or score them.
- Our links to slot sites only work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., German time, because German law bans online slot advertising during the day.

## What we rank

Our [ranking of the best online slot sites in Germany](https://safebet.ai/de/online-casinos/) compares sites that German players can legally use: those licensed by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) for virtual slot machines and listed on its official whitelist, at the exact .de addresses the whitelist names. Where a site also holds a state licence for table games, from Schleswig-Holstein or Bavaria, we take it into account for players in that state.

## The six criteria

| Criterion | Weight | The question we ask |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing & safety | 25% | Is it on the GGL whitelist for virtual slot machines, does it also hold a state licence for table games, and how clean is its record with the regulators? |
| Game library | 20% | How many slots can German players choose from, from which studios, is each game's RTP shown, and can you play table or live games where your state allows them? |
| Payments & payouts | 20% | Does it take PayPal, Klarna, Trustly, cards and paysafecard, what are the minimums and fees, and how fast does it say withdrawals are paid? |
| App & experience | 15% | How do German players rate its iOS and Android apps, and how easy is it to find games and manage your limits? |
| Responsible gambling | 10% | Beyond the legal minimum (the €1,000 LUGAS limit, OASIS and the panic button), which limits, breaks and reality checks does it offer, and how clearly? |
| Customer support | 10% | Can you reach a person in German or English by chat, email or phone, at what hours, and does it publish how it handles complaints? |

Each criterion gets a rating from 0 to 10; the overall score is the weighted average, rounded to one decimal, and the ranking follows it.

## How we rate each criterion

- **Licensing & safety:** a current GGL licence starts near the top; a state licence for table games, a long licensing history and published licence details add to it. Public warnings, revoked licences or misleading information about the rules cost points; we check the GGL's list of public warnings, which was empty when we last looked.
- **Game library:** the published number of slots and studios, whether RTPs are shown or published, and whether table games are available to players in Schleswig-Holstein or Bavaria. A site that doesn't publish its game count scores lower.
- **Payments & payouts:** published withdrawal times count most, then fees, minimums and the choice of methods. Fee clauses without amounts, inactivity fees and withdrawal restrictions cost points.
- **App & experience:** ratings on Germany's App Store and Google Play on the date checked, weighted by how many people rated them. A site with no native app scores low.
- **Responsible gambling:** every licensed site must offer the €1,000 monthly LUGAS limit, the 24-hour panic button and OASIS, so those are the baseline. Points come from what's added: hourly reality checks with breaks, session limits, flexible time-outs and clear explanations.
- **Customer support:** hours, channels (a phone line counts), languages and a published complaints process.

## What we leave out

**Bonuses and promotions.** Under the GGL's licence conditions, a licensee may only advertise bonuses the regulator has approved, and operators answer for how their affiliates advertise. We don't list, compare or score bonuses for Germany.

**Unlicensed sites.** Sites with only a Maltese, Curaçao or other foreign licence are illegal in Germany, and advertising them is a criminal offence. We never rank or link to them.

## How we follow German advertising rules

- **Opening hours for links.** German law bans online advertising for slots, poker and casino games from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (§ 5 Abs. 3 GlüStV 2021). In those hours our links to slot sites are switched off, on the page and on our servers; our reviews stay available. We don't link to slot sites anywhere else, including our sources and licence check.
- **Mandatory notices.** Our German pages carry the warnings the GGL requires: that gambling can be addictive, that under-18s may not play, and where to get free help.
- **Paid relationships.** We say on every German page that we may be paid when you register through our links. German law bans pay for this kind of advertising that depends on revenue, deposits or stakes (§ 5 Abs. 6 GlüStV 2021).

## Where our facts come from

The GGL whitelist, the GlüStV 2021 and the GGL's guidelines, each site's terms, help pages and imprint, and Germany's App Store and Google Play, each dated on the page. Several sites block visitors from outside Germany; for those we used their app listings or dated Internet Archive copies of their pages, and each review says so.

## Independence

SafeBet.ai may be paid by sites whose links are marked as sponsored, never based on your deposits, stakes or losses, but a site can't buy a place or a score. See our [editorial policy](https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/), and [tell us](https://safebet.ai/support/) if something's out of date.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why do you call them slot sites, not casinos?

Because that's what the German licence covers. The GGL licenses virtual slot machines across Germany, and § 22a Abs. 11 GlüStV 2021 bans the words "Casino" and "Casinospiele" in connection with slots and their advertising. Online table and live games are a separate product, licensed only by Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria.

### Why don't your links work during the day?

Because § 5 Abs. 3 GlüStV 2021 bans online advertising for slots, poker and casino games from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. We switch off our links to slot sites in those hours, on the page and on our servers, while our reviews stay available.

### Does a site paying SafeBet.ai change its score?

No. Every rating is shown and explained in the review, and the ranking follows the overall scores; the site won't build if it doesn't. German law bans pay for this kind of advertising that depends on revenue, deposits or stakes (§ 5 Abs. 6 GlüStV 2021). See our [editorial policy](https://safebet.ai/editorial-policy/).

### What if a site blocks visitors from outside Germany?

We use what we can verify: the GGL whitelist, the site's app listings, and dated Internet Archive copies of its pages. Each review says which sources it relies on, and we score what we couldn't verify conservatively.

## Sources

1. [Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (§§ 5, 22a, 22c; consolidated text)](https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/images/pdf/20250131_Konsolidierte%20Fassung%20des%20GluStV%202021%20mit%20Anderungen%20von%202022.pdf) — Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, accessed 2026-10-22
2. [Übersicht erlaubter Anbieter (Whitelist)](https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/uebersicht-erlaubter-anbieter-whitelist) — Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, last updated 2026-10-02; accessed 2026-10-22
3. [FAQ: Glücksspielwerbung](https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/informationen-fuer-spielende-faqs/faq-gluecksspielwerbung) — Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, accessed 2026-10-22
4. [Öffentliche Abmahnungen](https://www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/de/fuer-spielende/oeffentliche-abmahnungen) — Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, updated 2026-07-08; accessed 2026-10-22