How to check Germany's GGL whitelist for a legal operator

Germany's Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder publishes the common official whitelist under section 9(8) of the 2021 Interstate Treaty on Gambling. The list names gambling organisers and intermediaries that hold a permission or concession under the treaty.

The whitelist is broader than a list of companies supervised only by the GGL. It can also show offers supervised by German state authorities, including certain lotteries and land-based casino activities.

Before searching, define whether the question concerns sports betting, virtual slots, online poker, horse betting or another listed activity. A company can hold permission for one activity without holding permission for another.

Record the exact hostname visible to the user. A similar brand, international domain or translated website is not an automatic match for the domain published in the German record.

Use the full-text search for the consumer brand, known trading names, legal company and exact domain. A search result should be opened and read in full rather than treated as proof from the result title alone.

If the brand is absent but a possible group company appears, verify whether the record itself connects that entity to the website. Corporate ownership outside the whitelist is contextual evidence, not a substitute for the official match.

The gambling type states what was permitted. The territory or distribution field can distinguish a nationwide permission from activity limited to a particular state. Both fields are necessary to describe the scope accurately.

Online casino games are especially important to distinguish from virtual slots. The GGL explains that state authorities, rather than the GGL, are responsible for certain online casino permissions.

A whitelist entry can name the GGL or a state gambling authority as the responsible supervisor. This tells the reader where a status question, complaint or current-record enquiry should be directed.

It also prevents the mistaken conclusion that a state-supervised entry is unofficial merely because the permission was not issued directly by the GGL.

The GGL's consumer guidance states that permitted online gambling providers are recorded in the official whitelist and that an application does not become permission until it has been approved and added. For a current German online-offer check, absence is therefore material.

A responsible research record should still preserve the search terms, exact domain and list date. This makes the negative finding repeatable and allows it to be corrected quickly if the authority updates the record.

The workflow below produces a narrow, auditable result and avoids relying on a badge or footer claim published by the operator itself.

The GGL says the whitelist is updated when required and at least monthly. Atlas therefore schedules this high-risk guide for a 30-day review and will review it earlier after a licence announcement, enforcement notice or material list change.

The current page should always take priority over a screenshot, cached result or older downloadable copy.