Germany’s Online Poker Deal

Good luck trying to prevent Germans from playing poker over the Internet. Poker, they say, is in Germany's blood, and in no one more than former tennis giant, Boris Becker. After retiring from the professional tennis world nearly a decade ago, Becker is now the official spokesperson for a Web-based poker website.


Just how passionate are Germans for poker? Judging by a recent report by Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster - plenty! The problem is, while online gambling in Germany is technically against the law, the law itself is considered by many to be very grey.


As in the United States and elsewhere around the world, placing bets on one's favourite games in traditional land-based casinos is fair game. But betting on Texas Holdem or 5-Card Stud in cyberspace is a no-no. Still, until now, no German players have been arrested.


Adding to the confusion is the fact that the companies providing the games are typically based offshore in havens like Antigua, Malta and Gibraltar. Issues regarding jurisdiction have made the situation even cloudier.


In the meantime, German tax authorities maintain a monopoly over the gambling industry, pocketing over 50% of the revenues as tax. Gambling online, on the other hand, is still unregulated and untaxed, to Germany's economic detriment.


An estimated range of between 200,000 and 290,000 German poker buffs play over the Internet regularly, this according to the country's 2008 Addiction Yearbook. In 2006, gamblers spent some one million euros wagering online.

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