German Bookmakers Frustrated by 10-Hour Sports Betting Outage

A widespread 10-hour disruption in Germany’s sports betting services has sparked sharp criticism from the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV), one of the nation’s most prominent gambling trade organizations.

According to local reports, bettors across Germany were unable to make deposits with licensed betting operators for nearly 10 consecutive hours last Saturday. The failure of a critical regulatory system is believed to have caused the breakdown. Licensed providers now fear this prolonged outage may have redirected some customers toward unregulated betting platforms.

Expressing his concerns, Mathias Dahms, President of the DSWV, stated:
 “This isn’t merely a matter of severe economic loss.
 “When legal sports betting options are unavailable to German players on a Bundesliga matchday, illegal operators—who are always eager to welcome new customers and accept their deposits—are the ones who profit the most.
 “There’s absolutely no player protection within the black market, and German tax authorities are left empty-handed as a result.”

Cause Behind the Disruption

Online gambling operators in Germany are required by law to be integrated with LUGAS—the German Interstate Gambling Evaluation System—overseen by the national regulator, Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL).

LUGAS is a central data collection system that ensures operators comply with strict deposit limits and regulatory obligations.

However, as explained by the DSWV, it appears that LUGAS was at the heart of the problem. The system unexpectedly went offline last Saturday, preventing licensed operators from accepting deposits or registering new users.

In response, the DSWV has demanded a thorough investigation into the reasons behind this complete shutdown of the legal betting market. The association also urged the GGL to consider implementing round-the-clock technical support via its IT partner, Dataport—a demand that, according to the DSWV, has been on the table for years without resolution.

GGL’s Response

The GGL has since acknowledged the LUGAS system failure, confirming that licensed betting platforms were indeed unable to process deposits or new account registrations during the outage.

Seeking to defuse mounting frustration, the GGL clarified that bets could still be placed by existing customers who already had account balances, even while LUGAS was offline.

The regulator emphasized that it contacted Dataport immediately after being made aware of the issue. The IT provider reportedly resolved the technical malfunction later the same day, fully restoring LUGAS functionality. An official investigation into the root cause of the disruption is still underway.

Notably, the GGL made no mention of the DSWV’s appeal for continuous Dataport support services.

This incident comes just days after the GGL addressed an international audience at the DAW Berlin Congress, where it called on lawmakers to adopt stricter measures in the ongoing fight against the black market.