Overview

• Researchers estimate about 1.4 million adults are addicted to gambling and a further 3.5 million engage in risky behavior based on 2023 data.
• Specialists say roughly 600,000 children live with at least one gambling-addicted parent, facing elevated risks of neglect, anxiety, depression and school problems.
• Experts and the federal addiction commissioner single out online and illicit gambling as especially high-risk due to constant availability, cashless payments and a lack of social controls.
• Germany’s legal gambling market reached a record €63.5 billion in revenues, yielding €6.6 billion in tax income, highlighting the tension between public-health goals and fiscal interests.
• Ahead of a nationwide action day on gambling addiction this Wednesday, officials call for stricter youth and player protections, limits on advertising, more prevention and improved data collection.