Germany and its restrictions

[WladiYoga]

Hi everybody,

I noticed that German especially has multiple restrictions on online poker. For example while changing poker rooms there is a 5 minute waiting time. And a lot of the American Poker rooms aren't available here. I wonder: Is it like that in other countries too?

 

[G0930]

Sure many countries have strict laws for gambling and poker.
And true it's especially user unfriendly in Germany.
That's the reason many many German pros moved to Austria because we don't have such restrictions. Plus Austria doesn't tax winnings

Hi everybody,

I noticed that German especially has multiple restrictions on online poker. For example while changing poker rooms there is a 5 minute waiting time. And a lot of the American Poker rooms aren't available here. I wonder: Is it like that in other countries too?

 

[fundiver199]

I think, Germany is the only country with a government enforced table cap across sites. Other countries have other rules though, so its difficult to say, which is "worse". At least people in Germany have some legal options to play, which is not the case everywhere.

 

[bremp555]

Regulations really vary a lot from country to country, and it definitely impacts the online poker experience. In some places you barely feel the restrictions, while in others, like Germany, the rules can slow things down or limit which sites you can even access. The forced breaks and waiting times can be especially frustrating if you're used to switching tables quickly or grinding multiple sites.

I think a lot of players end up using whatever room is legally available, even if it's not their first choice. And you're right, many major American rooms aren’t accessible in several regions because of licensing or geo-restrictions. It would be cool to hear from people in other countries to compare how strict things are. Always interesting to see how the same game can feel totally different depending on where you live.

 

[austral]

Yes, many of the restrictions you mention in Germany aren't unique. Other countries have similar or different but also restrictive rules.

But there's no global standard. Each country has its own regulations, so to find out what the rules are, you need to check the specific situation in the country in question.

 

[miklcct]

Has PokerStars withdrawn from Germany? I am a UK-based player travelling on a holiday and I am not allowed to play PokerStars in Germany now.

 

[marco198121]

Well, i see germans all the time in ggpoker, in fact they are top 3 over there, with brazil and canada

 

[oroochimaru]

Has PokerStars withdrawn from Germany? I am a UK-based player travelling on a holiday and I am not allowed to play PokerStars in Germany now.

PokerStars still operates in Germany, but you can no longer play with the pokerstars.eu App. We Germans had to register and log in with the new pokerstars.de app to play on PokerStars. In the future, try using a VPN client that gives you a British IP address, If you are vacationing in Germany again, you should then be able to continue playing with pokerstars.eu. But double check TOS, as I m not 100% sure if this is legally permissible according to PokerStars terms and conditions.

 

[Goggelheimer]

PokerStars still operates in Germany, but you can no longer play with the pokerstars.eu app. We Germans had to register and log in with the new pokerstars.de app to play on PokerStars. In the future, try using a VPN client that gives you a British IP address, If you are vacationing in Germany again, you should then be able to continue playing with pokerstars.eu. But double check TOS, as I m not 100% sure if this is legally permissible according to PokerStars terms and conditions.

VPN are detected by PokerStars and will lead to account closing. Not recommended.

 

[miklcct]

PokerStars still operates in Germany, but you can no longer play with the pokerstars.eu app. We Germans had to register and log in with the new pokerstars.de app to play on PokerStars. In the future, try using a VPN client that gives you a British IP address, If you are vacationing in Germany again, you should then be able to continue playing with pokerstars.eu. But double check TOS, as I m not 100% sure if this is legally permissible according to PokerStars terms and conditions.

I'm on pokerstars.uk

 

[ledsmith]

Online poker isn't as accessible as it was at least 10 years ago. That's sad.

 

[fundiver199]

Has PokerStars withdrawn from Germany? I am a UK-based player travelling on a holiday and I am not allowed to play PokerStars in Germany now.

Yes this is one of the problems with regulations. It also work the other way around. I live in Sweden, and I can not use my swedish registered PokerStars account, when I travel outside Sweden. As others have said, PokerStars are known to crack down hard on people trying to hide their location with VPN, so just accept the situation and take a break from PokerStars while on vacation in Germany.

 

[WladiYoga]

So you have to pay tax on your wins in Germany? And in Austria there is no tax at all?

 

[dreamer13]

There must be plenty of fun things to do in Germany that you can spend your money on that will be much more memorable than poker.Live poker in Germany is only available at licensed casinos, which are regulated at the federal state level. Large establishments operate in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Wiesbaden.I have no problems in Latvia, either with poker or with casinos.