Bingo Sites that accept players from Germany

History of Bingo in Germany

Similar to the development path in all European countries and in the United States of America, bingo came to Germany as a by-product of a lottery.

The use of the chance to allocate “a part of a whole to be distributed” was first introduced to Germanic tribes by the Roman Empire. The custom survived the demise of Romans and took a firm hold throughout Gottesurteile. These lottery-based ordeals used the chance to predict events and practice justice until they were outlawed by the Church in 1215.

As the first lotteries appeared in the 15^th century, they quickly spread throughout German settlements.

Played as a class lottery in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Rostock, and other cities, these games were so popular that the states signed regional treaties, agreeing not to sell tickets outside their borders.

The different lotteries coexisted throughout Prussian times, all the way until 1938, when they were merged into a single lottery, which ran uninterrupted until 1945.

Therefore…

When bingo emerged as a freestanding game in the first half of the 20^th century, it was predominantly used for education.

(Somewhat understandably, the gambling market in the country was saturated at the time. In addition to lotteries, Germans had the Casino Wiesbaden since 1810 and the Kurhaus of Baden-Baden as of 1834 — two of the oldest gambling establishments in history — to enjoy games of chance. So, one extra game was not necessarily needed that much. Even the closure of all casinos in Germany in 1872 had not changed this notion toward bingo.)

In a true manner of their pragmatic approach to everything, Germans saw a higher purpose for this exciting game: Instead of winning money, players could win knowledge.

Thus, they rolled out bingo in schools throughout the nation, teaching children basic mathematic principles, domestic and foreign languages, vocabulary, animals, food, body parts, occupational choices, means of transportations, and such.

After the end of World Word Two, all-encompassing changes took place.

Four class lotteries were re-established in 1947, and casinos reopened in 1950. Although gambling activities remained regulated by individual states in Western Germany, restrictions were heavy, as operators required proof of residency for players to visit gambling halls.

Virtually all new gambling laws were geared towards lotteries and sports betting.

It would take another sixty years, a couple of monopolizing attempts, and the emergence of the European Union for the gambling market in Germany to take the form of a decentralized approach, which also allows private companies to run well-regulated gaming operations.

Throughout all these developments…

Bingo remained at the periphery. While it was present in schools and nursing homes in the later stages, the game was a commercial outlier.

And it still is.

As information from H2 Gambling Capital indicates — there are no separate financial indicators for land-based or interactive bingo when it comes to contemporary gambling categories in Germany: The game is heavily shadowed by lotteries.

But…

One would be mistaken to interpret such a situation as lacking bingo popularity.

In 2018, a care home provider in Cologne — who accidentally operated without a license for gambling — had to suspend its highly popular bingo evenings regularly organized for some one hundred septuagenarian citizens. Elderly players who were paying half a Euro ($0.6) for each bingo card to get a chance to receive chocolates or cakes were left shocked and speechless. The local regulator promptly issued a three-month permit to a residential home to alleviate the situation while a provider worked on getting its gambling certificate. The news made headlines even on BBC.

Thing is…

When you have generations of kids who play bingo for educational purposes, you’re bound to produce cohorts of players who know the game intimately and play it in more than forty land-based bingo halls across the country.

Consequently, as the 2020 amendments to the State Treaty on Gambling took effect on July 1, 2021, hopefully, the nation is ready and willing to embrace interactive 90-ball bingo and take it to a whole new level.

State of Online Bingo in Germany

The latest regulatory effort effectively introduces a decentralized approach that creates a state-by-state regulated interactive gambling market.

Bingo itself is not identified by legislation. Instead, since bingo resembles lotteries, the lottery regulations will apply. Both games are entirely legal, as long as state law approves them.

More importantly, as the operations of lotteries and, say, 75-ball bingo remain exclusively reserved for state-owned operators, the local private contractors (casinos) may only use brokering licenses, allowing them to sell tickets on behalf of the state lottery companies.

However…

The 2021 State Treaty on Gambling equally allows German residents to use offshore casino brands, and that is precisely where our comprehensive database comes into the picture.

Although players still need to adhere to local state laws, bingo punters now have the opportunity to explore vast iGaming destinations and interactive bingo rooms around the world.

Since the offshore market may seem new to German bingo players, our directory can shed some light on providing the most relevant information for players to make prudent and responsible decisions.

Still…

Please make sure to conduct thorough due diligence in terms of local regulations and to comply with existing legislation consequentially. The iGaming legal framework in Germany is somewhat complex, and it may take you some time to fully grasp the whole spectrum of possibilities.

Nonetheless, such a sensible and accountable approach to bingo is probably the single most important prerequisite to great fun, which is what gambling is all about and what it should always be.

Other than that, have good luck!