Third-party OASIS blocks: who can apply and how to object

A third-party block (Fremdsperre) is an entry in the OASIS player exclusion system that is requested not by the player but by a gambling operator or a third party, for example relatives or a partner. The legal basis is § 8a(1) GlüStV 2021, and the register is run by the Regional Council (RP) Darmstadt for all German states. How an existing block ends is explained on the page on how to lift an OASIS block, which covers self-exclusions and third-party blocks together.

This page is for relatives who want someone blocked and for players who discover a block they never requested. Sources: §§ 8a and 8b GlüStV 2021 and RP Darmstadt, as of 08.10.2026.

Unlike a self-exclusion, a third-party block needs a ground. Under § 8a(1) GlüStV 2021 there must be evidence that the person

• is at risk of gambling addiction,
• is over-indebted,
• does not meet their financial obligations, or
• places stakes that are out of proportion to their income or assets.

There are two routes to an entry. An operator, meaning an arcade, a casino, a betting company or an online casino, enters the block based on staff observations, reports from third parties or other factual indications. Under § 8a(2), third parties can also apply directly to RP Darmstadt.

For applications to RP Darmstadt there is the form „SpSF“. According to the RP you need the signed application, a ticked ground with supporting evidence, and ID copies of both the applicant and the person to be blocked. An ID card or passport is accepted, a driving licence is not. If the data in the application do not match the ID, the block does not take effect, so a typo in the name or date of birth makes the application useless.

The RP does not specify which evidence is sufficient. Where a person is under legal guardianship, the RP accepts the guardian's ID card. According to the GGL, a third-party block via OASIS is free of charge, while operators pay costs under § 8c.

A third-party block is not entered in secret. § 8a(3) GlüStV 2021 requires that the player be given the opportunity to comment before the entry; according to the RP, the hearing is skipped only for applications from legal guardians. After the entry, the player must be informed in text form under § 8a(5), including how to end the block.

Blocking a brother „ohne das er es merkt“, without him noticing, as a forum user asked, is therefore impossible. At the hearing the person concerned can object, argue that none of the four grounds applies and submit documents. The operator or the RP then decides.

Anyone who learns of a block without having been heard can request a block information statement from the RP showing whether a block exists and who entered it. What the OASIS block register stores is set out in § 23(1): names, date and place of birth, address, ground and duration of the block, and the reporting body. According to the RP, the data are not passed on to credit agencies such as Schufa.

Under § 8a(6) GlüStV 2021, a third-party block runs for at least one year; the shorter three-month minimum exists only for self-exclusion. The GGL calls it a „Fremdsperre für 12 Monate“. How the minimum, the chosen period and indefinite blocks relate to each other is shown in the overview of the OASIS block duration.

Even if an application names a period such as „30 Jahre“, the RP says the application to lift a third-party block can be filed no earlier than after one year. The block does not end on its own after that year either: without a written application to lift it, it stays in place, under § 8b(1) sentence 4 even if a period was stated in the original application.

Only the blocked person can apply to lift the block, not the relatives and not the operator. RP Darmstadt alone decides; under § 8b(2) an operator may only forward the application. A signed written application and a copy of an ID card or passport are required. An application filed before the first year has passed is invalid.

The RP then informs the operator that entered the block and, if the block was based on a report by third parties, those third parties as well, including the option of filing a new block application. This is how a third-party block can be renewed before the old one ends.

Under § 8b(3), lifting a third-party block takes effect no earlier than one month after the application is received, for a self-exclusion after one week. Afterwards, operators may not grant bonuses or discounts to that person under § 8(4). The data are deleted after six years: according to § 23(5) GlüStV six years after the block expires, according to the RP six years after the lifting.

LUGAS is not a block register but the GGL's limit and activity file: it counts deposits at all licensed operators against the cross-operator LUGAS limit of €1,000 per month. A third-party block within the meaning of § 8a exists only in OASIS.

For relatives the sequence is: choose a ground, collect evidence, and submit the „SpSF“ form with a signature and both ID copies, with the person's details exactly as on the ID.

Where the block applies is set out in § 8 GlüStV 2021. According to the RP, the check covers arcades, casinos, sports betting, online casino games, online poker, virtual slot games, lotteries drawn more than twice a week, and gaming machines in bars. Exempt under § 8(2) are, among others, lotteries drawn no more than twice a week and prize-linked savings. According to § 8(3) the check takes place immediately before the first game, according to the GGL at registration and at every sign-in.

The check is mandatory only for operators holding a permit under the GlüStV; who is on the GGL whitelist and how a German casino licence differs from a foreign licence is covered on the licence page. Which sites work without the check and what that means for players is covered in the overview of casinos without OASIS.

A block is no substitute for support. According to the GGL, the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) offers free telephone counselling at 0800 1 37 27 00, Monday to Thursday from 10 to 22 and Friday to Sunday from 10 to 18.