Have you lost money at online casinos or through online sports betting ? You are not alone, and your case is not hopeless. Due to the legal gray areas surrounding many providers until July 1, 2021, you may have options to reclaim your losses. Learn here how to check your eligibility and get your lost money back.
Check your chances of success
Why You Can Recover Losses from Online Casinos and Sports Betting
Until July 1, 2021, almost all online casinos and sports betting providers in Germany operated without a valid license, making them illegal under German law. The provider’s geographical location is irrelevant; as long as their services are available in Germany, they must comply with German legislation. Well-known names like PokerStars, Platincasino, 888Casino, LuckyDays, Tipico, Locowin, and bet365 are therefore not entitled to keep your stakes.
This gives affected players the opportunity to reclaim their losses from online gambling and sports betting retroactively for up to ten years . The effectiveness of these claims is confirmed by numerous rulings from German courts, which have already ordered many online casinos and sports betting providers to make repayments.
Although the new Interstate Treaty on Gambling came into force on July 1, 2021, and aims to better regulate the industry, many providers still do not comply with the legal requirements and do not have a valid license in Germany. This often makes it possible to reclaim losses even after this date.
Examples of Successful Judgments
Starting in 2019, lawsuits were filed against online casinos and sports betting providers before various German courts, including the Regional Courts of Frankfurt, Essen, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Stuttgart, and Munich. These efforts resulted in more than 500 successful judgments, many of which are now legally binding and have led to significant refunds for the affected players.
Germany’s Leading Lawyer for Online Casino & Sports Betting Loss Recovery
As early as 2019, attorney István Cocron began taking action against illegal online casinos and sports betting providers on behalf of his clients. As a recognized expert in this field of law, he has made a name for himself throughout Germany and has frequently appeared in the media, including ARD, ARTE, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and Handelsblatt, to discuss topics related to online gambling and sports betting.
Attorney István Cocron in the Media (Excerpt)
List of Providers (Excerpt)
Here you will find a selection of online casinos & sports betting providers operating in Germany that can be legally prosecuted. If you have lost money with one of the providers listed here, you may have claims to reclaim your money.
In general, it is possible to reclaim losses from online casinos and sports betting if the providers operated their services in Germany without a valid license until July 1, 2021 – a situation that applies to the majority of online casinos and sports betting providers. Furthermore, many gambling providers continue to operate without a valid license in Germany even after July 1, 2021.
Numerous Successful Judgments Recover Losses from Online Casinos & Sports Betting
Throughout Germany, numerous courts have already sided with consumers and ordered online casinos to repay losses suffered. The following map shows where player-friendly judgments have been successfully handed down in Germany. Our lawyer and expert Istvan Cocron was responsible for a large number of these judgments.
Violations of Deposit Limits: What Does This Mean for Players?
The introduction of the deposit limit by the new State Treaty on Gambling was intended to be a strong instrument to protect players from excessive losses. However, practice shows that many online gambling providers circumvent or disregard these regulations. Despite the set limit of €1,000 per month, which can be increased up to €30,000 under certain conditions, this often happens without the necessary check of the players’ financial capability. This practice puts players in dangerous financial situations by allowing them to gamble away amounts that can exceed their monthly net income.
For you, this means that you can assert legal claims if the set limits were exceeded and you suffered financial damages as a result.
The deposit limit is an important protective mechanism to better counteract uncontrolled gambling in online casinos. By failing to comply with these regulations, providers not only expose themselves to legal risks but also endanger the well-being of their customers. This has already resulted in several court decisions in which players have recovered their sometimes significant losses from online casinos. If you believe that your deposit limit was exceeded and this led to financial losses, you should consider legal steps.
Investigation Proceedings: When You Are Being Prosecuted
You are being investigated because you participated in illegal online gambling? Such a proceeding can have serious consequences for you. Legal assistance is therefore essential. Such investigation proceedings often occur because banks automatically report suspicious transactions to the authorities. And they then initiate corresponding investigations. In such a case, you should definitely rely on a lawyer specializing in online casinos. We are happy to support you, analyze your case, and check the investigation proceeding for its legality.
How It Works: Recovering Money from Online Gambling & Sports Betting
If you want to reclaim losses from an online casino or sports betting provider, support from a specialized lawyer is essential. Despite a clear German legal situation, reclaiming deposited funds is usually complex and costly – simply because many casino providers are located abroad (e.g., Malta, Curaçao, and Ireland). If you are uncertain whether you can make claims against an online casino or betting provider, we recommend our Initial Consultation. We will gladly check your case without obligation and show you your legal options.
Request Repayment of Your Gambling Losses
Use our interactive quick test and check your chances of success in less than two minutes.
Review of Your Information
Our lawyers review your submitted data and inform you how much money you can demand back from the online casino or betting provider.
Enforce Rights
No cost risk: Only after you have commissioned us do we take care of successfully enforcing your claims. Since legal protection insurance unfortunately usually does not cover ‘Online Casino’ cases, we offer you litigation funding. With this, you have absolutely no cost risk.
Why We Are the Right Choice for You
Cost Assistance Through Litigation Funding
Unfortunately, legal protection insurance policies often exclude cases in the ‘Online Casino’ area. If self-financing is not possible, you can resort to litigation funding, where a funder assumes all costs. In the event of a successful outcome, the funder receives their expenses plus a commission of about 38%. Another option is legal aid, where the state covers the attorney and court costs. However, note that in the event of a defeat, the opposing side’s costs are not covered.
What Our Clients Say
FAQs
The initial consultation is always free with us. So you incur no costs if you contact us and we briefly analyze your case and inform you about your options. Costs only arise from the moment you officially commission us. Alternatively, we are happy to provide you with a litigation funder who assumes all costs for you and only retains a share of your recovered refunds in the event of a lawsuit success. In addition, you also have the option of applying for state legal aid. We are happy to inform you in detail about your options.
The amount of money to be reclaimed depends on your individual losses. Losses can generally be claimed retroactively for up to ten years, starting from the time you should have become aware of the illegality of the offer. The calculation is based on your deposits minus withdrawals at each individual provider. Our clients have already received amounts of €7,000, €12,000, €44,000 and more back.
Many of the online casinos and sports betting providers offering their services on the German market did not have a valid license for Germany for a long time. Often these companies are based in countries like Malta or Great Britain and only possess a license from their home country, which however has no validity in Germany. These providers are punishable under Section 284 of the Criminal Code because they operate without the required German license.
Yes, you can still claim losses. The new State Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV), which came into force on July 1, 2021, regulates the conditions from this date and has no retroactive effect. This means that losses incurred before the new GlüStV came into force can still be claimed retroactively for up to ten years.
To reclaim your losses, you must first provide evidence such as bank statements or transaction histories documenting your deposits and withdrawals. You can request these receipts from the respective casino providers. With these receipts, a specialized lawyer can evaluate your chances and initiate the process. Depending on the case, the process can vary in complexity and may require a court dispute to enforce your claims.
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