Around 20 years ago, sports betting in Germany was by no means an activity of the masses. Quite the opposite: betting shops were always surrounded by a rather shady reputation. With digitalization and the emergence of online betting providers, this has changed. In the meantime, the sports betting industry has become firmly established and is active, for example, as a sponsor of numerous clubs or even the DFB. For some years now, sports betting has thus finally arrived in the middle of society. The passion runs through all age groups and strata. Portals such as wettnation.de help to identify the most attractive sports betting providers in Germany.
Another key factor in the triumph of online betting is the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany. While online sports betting was only possible in a legal gray area for a long time, this market has now been completely opened up. The so-called Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL) will act as supervisory and regulatory authority in the future.
Sports betting in Germany: What do Germans prefer to bet on?
Due to the increasingly liberal approach to sports betting in Germany, the stakes for betting fans have also literally exploded over a long period of time. As the Statista data service determined, betting stakes in Germany rose from 3.4 billion euros per year in 2012 to more than 8.8 billion euros in 2018. Most recently, the industry’s gross gaming revenue had fallen slightly. However, this mainly affected the stationary betting shops and less the online bookmakers.
But what do German sports fans prefer to bet on? Unsurprisingly, soccer takes the top spot. Also, high up on the popularity scale are basketball, ice hockey, handball, and tennis. Especially in recent years, betting providers have also seen a significant increase in demand for bets on American football in the NFL.
Focus on victory and goal bets
When it comes to selecting the exact betting markets, a consistent trend has been continuing among German betting fans for years now. A majority of these place the stakes on the win or goal bets. In a way, these betting markets can be called real classics among betting odds. With the win bets, the bettors bet on one of three possible outcomes in a soccer match: the home win, the draw, or the away win. With the goal bets, on the other hand, the customers do not have to take into account the winner of the match. The only thing that counts here is how many goals are scored in the match.
Live betting during the match in progress
Also among the most popular betting markets among German sports betting fans are live bets. All the bets mentioned so far can be placed both before the match and during the ongoing games. When placing bets during the ongoing match, it is called the live bets. Many betting fans appreciate here that the course of the game can be followed first. This is not possible with the so-called pre-match bets before the match.
