Our picks in detail
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1. Tipico: best overall
8.4/10 Tipico is run by Tipico Co. Limited in Malta, licensed by the GGL for online and retail sports betting since the first licences of October 2020 (current licence of December 9, 2022). Its app listings say it pays the betting tax itself for customers in Germany, so winning bets pay the full odds. Its iOS app is rated 4.72 from 425,116 ratings and its Android app 4.65 from 92,168, the most of any sportsbook in Germany. It covers football from the Champions League to the 3. Liga, US sports, tennis, Formula 1 and handball, with live bets, long-term bets and cash out, and the Tipico Group runs more than 1,250 shops in Germany and Austria.
Full Tipico review Tipico alternatives
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2. Winamax: tax-free betting
8.3/10 Winamax is run by WINAMAX SA in Paris, licensed by the GGL for online sports betting since June 29, 2021 (current licence of December 8, 2022). Every page advertises "0% Wettsteuer": Winamax pays the 5.3% betting tax itself. It listed 25 sports when we checked, from football and basketball to darts and biathlon, with free streams of selected games on Winamax TV, cash out and an option to add selections to a bet you've placed. Deposits start at €1 by Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay, with no fees; withdrawals go to a bank account in your name. Support is by contact form and email around the clock, with no chat or phone.
Full Winamax review Winamax alternatives
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3. Betano: best app & bet builder
8.1/10 Betano is licensed in Germany to Betkick Sportsbetting Limited in Malta, on the GGL whitelist for online sports betting since February 19, 2021 (current licence of December 16, 2022). Its terms deduct the 5.3% betting tax only from winning bets, set a €0.20 minimum stake and publish maximum winnings per market, up to €300,000 net per bet on top football competitions. It offers a bet builder, cash out before and during games, and its own MyLive page; its apps are rated 4.68 on iOS from 20,235 ratings and 4.48 on Android from 126,238. Deposits work with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna and cards.
Full Betano review Betano alternatives
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4. ODDSET: support around the clock
8.0/10 ODDSET is run by ODDSET Sportwetten GmbH in Munich, licensed by the GGL for online and retail sports betting since November 18, 2020 (current licence of December 15, 2022). On every winning bet it keeps 5% of the gross payout (stake × odds), a charge it calls a "Quotenabschlag", so a winning €100 bet at odds of 2.00 pays back €190. It covers the Bundesliga down to the 3. Liga and the big international leagues, with live bets, cash out and a bet builder for selected sports. Deposits start at €5 by PayPal, Tink, cards or paysafecard, withdrawals carry no fees, and support runs around the clock by chat, email and a free hotline.
Full ODDSET review ODDSET alternatives
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5. bet-at-home: published payment terms
7.9/10 bet-at-home is run by Bet-at-home.com Internet Limited in Malta, licensed by the GGL for online sports betting since November 2, 2020 (current licence of December 22, 2022). Its terms deduct the 5.3% betting tax only from winning bets. It offers single, combination and system bets, a bet builder, live betting, and partial and automatic cash out. Deposits start at €10 by card, PayPal, Klarna, Trustly, Skrill, Neteller or paysafecard, with no fees; every withdrawal is processed within 24 hours, and e-wallets pay out right after. Chat runs daily from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Full bet-at-home review bet-at-home alternatives
How sports betting works in Germany
Sports betting is licensed nationwide by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL): 27 operators with 33 websites were on its whitelist on October 2, 2026. You must be 18 or over, and the same rules apply everywhere:
- 5.3% betting tax on every stake, owed by the sportsbook, which decides whether to pass it on;
- in-play bets only on the final result and on the next goal, set or similar;
- no bets on fouls, cards or penalties as sanctions, on youth or amateur games, or on anything that isn’t sport, such as elections;
- a €1,000 monthly deposit limit across all licensed sites, a 24-hour panic button and OASIS self-exclusion.
Our guide covers the rules for sports betting in Germany in detail.
How the top five compare
How we scored them
We only rank sportsbooks whose tax handling we could verify. bet365 and bwin are licensed in Germany, but their German help pages and terms block visitors from outside Germany, so we couldn’t check how they charge the tax; Tipico’s site does too, but its app listings state its tax policy plainly. We don’t collect odds automatically, and we don’t list or score bonuses, which need the GGL’s approval to be advertised. The full method is in how we rank sportsbooks in Germany.
What betting really costs
A sportsbook builds a margin into every price, and in Germany the betting tax can come on top. At odds of 1.90 on both sides of a market, the book keeps about 5% of everything staked over time. A book that deducts the 5.3% tax from winning bets adds about another 2.7% at those odds, and one that keeps 5% of every winning payout adds about 4.8%. Our betting tax calculator works out the total for any market and shows which of two books pays more.
Staying safe
- Check the whitelist. Only the .de addresses on the GGL’s list are licensed. Our sportsbook licence check searches it for you.
- Avoid offshore books. A foreign licence doesn’t count in Germany, and if an unlicensed book refuses to pay, there’s no German regulator to complain to.
- No bets on politics. Bets on elections and other non-sports events can’t be licensed in Germany, whether a bookmaker or a prediction market offers them. See are prediction markets legal in Germany?
Taxes
Private bettors pay no income tax on winnings in Germany; the 5.3% tax is on stakes and owed by the sportsbook. See gambling taxes in Germany.
Betting responsibly
Most bettors lose over time, because the margin and the tax work against every bet. Set a deposit limit before your first bet, never chase losses, and stop if it isn’t fun. The BIÖG helpline on 0800 1 37 27 00 is free and anonymous; our guide to gambling help in Germany covers OASIS self-exclusion and more.