Germany · Sports betting · Free tool
Betting tax calculator: what Germany’s 5.3% tax costs you
Enter a sportsbook’s odds and how it charges Germany’s 5.3% betting tax to see what you really get back, the margin you pay including the tax, and which of two sportsbooks pays more on each outcome.
Margin and betting tax calculator
Sportsbook A costs you
Payout 93.5%6.50%
Betting at A costs you about €6.50 of every €100 staked on this market, tax included
- Book’s own margin (A)
- 6.50%
- Payout rate (A)
- 93.50%
- Book B costs you
- 7.38%
- Payout rate (B)
- 92.62%
- Fair odds, margin and tax removed (A)
- 2.00 / 2.00
Sportsbook A costs 0.88% less of every bet
Outcome by outcome
| Outcome | A | B | Better | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.87 | 1.95 | Book A | +€1.75 |
| 2 | 1.87 | 1.95 | Book A | +€1.75 |
| 3 | — | — | — | — |
Margin assumes bets follow the fair probabilities (proportional method). Outcomes are in the order you entered them. “Extra” is how much more the better price returns on your stake if that outcome wins, after each book’s tax deduction.
How sportsbooks charge the tax
Every sports bet placed from Germany is taxed at 5.3% of the stake, and the sportsbook owes it. Each book decides whether, and how, to pass it on. Here’s what a winning €100 bet at odds of 2.00 pays back under each approach.
| How the tax is charged | What it means | Pays back | In our ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| The sportsbook pays it | The sportsbook pays the tax itself: you get the odds you see. | €200.00 | Tipico , Winamax |
| 5.3% off winning bets only | The 5.3% tax on your stake is deducted from your payout when you win; losing bets pay nothing extra. | €194.70 | Betano , bet-at-home |
| 5% off the whole payout | 5% of the gross return (stake × odds) is deducted from winning bets. | €190.00 | ODDSET |
| 5.3% off your stake | 5.3% of every stake goes to the tax, win or lose. | €189.40 | — |
From each sportsbook’s own terms, help pages or app listing, checked October 22, 2026; Tipico’s and Winamax’s statements come from their app listing and website. Books can change how they charge the tax: your bet slip shows any deduction before you confirm.
How the calculator works
A sportsbook never offers fair odds. Add up the implied probabilities of every outcome in a market and you get more than 100%: the excess is the book’s margin, and in Germany the betting tax comes on top unless the book pays it. Enter the decimal odds a sportsbook offers on each outcome and choose how it charges the tax: the calculator works out the odds you really get, what a winning bet pays back, and the total share of your stakes that the book and the tax take together.
Add a second sportsbook’s odds on the same game to see which one costs less after tax, and how much more each outcome pays at the better book. That’s where the tax matters most: higher odds at a book that deducts the tax can pay less than lower odds at a book that pays it. Our ranking of the best betting sites in Germany compares the licensed sportsbooks on more than price.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the betting tax in Germany?
5.3% of the stake, net of the tax itself, under §§ 16–18 of the Rennwett- und Lotteriegesetz, which works out at about 5.03% of what you hand over. The sportsbook owes it to the tax office and decides whether to pass it on to you.
Which sportsbooks pay the betting tax for you?
Of the sportsbooks in our ranking, Tipico and Winamax say they pay it themselves for German customers. Betano and bet-at-home deduct the 5.3% tax on your stake from winning bets only, and ODDSET keeps 5% of the gross return on winning bets.
Is a tax taken from winning bets better than one taken from every stake?
Yes, for you. Taken only from winning bets, the tax costs you nothing when you lose, and a winning €100 bet at odds of 2.00 pays back €194.70. Taken from every stake, the same winning bet pays back €189.40, and a losing bet costs €100 either way.
Why can higher odds pay less?
Because of the tax. A winning €100 bet at 1.95 with 5% off the payout pays back €185.25, while the same bet at 1.87 with a sportsbook that pays the tax itself pays back €187. The calculator makes this comparison for every outcome.
Do I pay tax on my betting winnings in Germany?
No. The betting tax is a tax on stakes owed by the sportsbook, and private bettors pay no income tax on their winnings. See gambling taxes in Germany.
Keep reading
Sources
We verify facts against primary sources (regulators, court records, operators’ own terms) wherever possible.
- Rennwett- und Lotteriegesetz (§§ 16–21, Sportwettensteuer) — Bundesministerium der Justiz , accessed 2026-10-22
- Tipico Sportwetten App (App Store listing) — Apple App Store (Germany) , version 9.2.2 of 2026-09-21; accessed 2026-10-22
- Einzahlungsmethoden — Winamax , accessed 2026-10-22
- Wie funktioniert die Wettsteuer? — bet-at-home , updated 2026-08-04
- Geschäftsbedingungen (5.2, Wettsteuer) — Betano , Internet Archive capture of 2026-02-21
- Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen (D.II, Quotenabschlag) — ODDSET Sportwetten GmbH , version 5.0, valid from 2025-07-10; accessed 2026-10-22