Where does the OASIS block apply? Lottery, casinos, betting, abroad

An OASIS block does not apply only at the operator through which it was requested. Under § 8(1) GlüStV 2021 the exclusion system is central and covers all forms of gambling, and the Regional Council of Darmstadt runs it on behalf of all German federal states. Who may block a player and what data sits in the OASIS block register is covered on the overview page.

The questions usually come up once the block is already in place. On gutefrage.net one player asks: „Gilt die Sperre wirklich nur für Deutschland ?“ (does the block really apply only to Germany?), another: „Gilt die Sperre europaweit?“ (does it apply across Europe?). The answers below rely on the statute, the Q&A of the RP Darmstadt and the GGL overview, retrieved on 07.10.2026. Player statements are marked as such.

§ 8(2) GlüStV puts the basic rule in one sentence: „Gesperrte Spieler dürfen an öffentlichen Glücksspielen nicht teilnehmen“, blocked players may not take part in public gambling. The RP Darmstadt lists the operators this covers, with reference to § 2(2) to (10) GlüStV:

• gaming arcades and casinos (Spielbanken),
• sports betting and bookmakers,
• online horse betting,
• lotteries held more than twice a week,
• commercial gambling brokers,
• online casino games, online poker and virtual slot games,
• gaming machines with money or goods prizes in bars and restaurants.

Gaming arcades and bars only joined with the GlüStV 2021. Under § 8d the records of the former exclusion system and of the Hessian arcade exclusion file were transferred into the nationwide system; since then lifting a block is governed solely by § 8b.

Checking is the operator's duty. § 8(3) requires operators to identify anyone who wants to play by ID or a comparable identity check and to match them against the register, online immediately before the first game. According to the GGL, the match takes place when the account is opened and every time the player accesses the account again. The operator only receives „Der Spieler ist gesperrt“ (blocked) or „Der Spieler ist nicht gesperrt“ (not blocked); it does not see the reason or who entered the block. Anyone who wants to find out for themselves files an OASIS status request with the RP using form „SpSS“, a signature and a copy of their ID.

The reach does not depend on the type of block. Self-exclusion, third-party exclusion and the 24-hour block via the panic button sit in the same register; only the duration differs. The short block under § 6i(3) therefore applies for 24 hours at all connected operators and ends without an application. Advertising is covered too: personally addressed gambling advertising to blocked players is not permitted under § 5(5), and operators must check the register before sending it.

§ 8(2) exempts three areas from the ban on participation: lotteries held no more than twice a week, prize-linked savings (Gewinnsparen) and on-site horse betting with totalisator associations or at a domestic racecourse. Online instant lotteries are expressly not exempt.

Most lottery questions on gutefrage.net revolve around this limit. One blocked player asks whether a win would cause problems „da ich ja gesperrt bin“ (since I am blocked). Another wants to know whether the lottery office checks „auch im Oasis-System nach gesperrten Spielern“ (the OASIS system for blocked players). An addiction counsellor replies there that the block covers everything „außer für Lotto, sofern die Ziehungen nicht öfter als dreimal pro Woche durchgeführt werden“, i.e. except lotteries drawn no more than three times a week. The statute is narrower: no more than twice a week. § 8(2) is what counts.

The law distinguishes between a retail outlet and the internet only for instant lotteries. § 6c(9) draws the same line for the cross-operator deposit limit: deposits made only for lotteries held up to twice a week and for prize-linked savings are exempt, while online instant lotteries count towards the limit.

Gaming arcades are connected and must identify every guest under § 8(3) and match them against OASIS. A registered block therefore covers them as well. One player asks on gutefrage.net whether the OASIS block is enough „oder muss ich mich in der Spielhalle auch noch sperren lassen“ (or do I also have to get blocked at the arcade).

Reports from practice tell a different story. One user writes: „Nur bringt das alles nichts wenn ich noch in Spielhallen rein komme“ (none of this helps if I can still get into arcades). In the same thread someone answers from the operator side: „Wir haben OASIS auch noch net installiert“ (we have not installed OASIS yet either). Others ask whether they can reclaim their stakes when they were blocked and could still play. The duties under § 8(3) are addressed to the operator; the norms analysed here contain no rule on reclaiming stakes.

Conversely, some people only find out at the door that they are in the register: „Unabsichtlich muss ich wohl diese Sperrung verursacht haben“ (I must have caused this block unintentionally). Often a block from an online account is behind it. Not every block at an operator ends up in OASIS, though. Tipico told a customer with an unverified account after a 24-hour block: „Eine Eintragung in die anbieterübergreifende Sperrdatei OASIS ist daher nicht möglich“ (an entry in the cross-operator register is therefore not possible). The GGL names the free BIÖG helpline on 0800 1 37 27 00.

OASIS is an instrument of the State Treaty on Gambling concluded by the German federal states. The duty to check applies to operators covered by that treaty; casinos in Austria or other countries do not appear in the RP Darmstadt list. The sources name no data exchange with exclusion systems in other countries, and according to the RP Darmstadt OASIS data is not passed to other credit or information systems such as Schufa. There is therefore no rule extending the block beyond Germany.

Online, the line runs along the licence. According to the GGL, licensed operators must use OASIS; the official whitelist shows which ones they are. What a German casino licence requires and how foreign licences differ is covered on the licence page. For 7Signs, Wild Tokyo, MyStake and Sportaza a full-text search of the GGL whitelist returned no match, and none of these brands is connected to OASIS.

An OASIS block does not show up at such operators, and according to the GGL they also lack deposit limits and self-exclusion. What defines casinos without OASIS and who runs them is summarised on the home page. A brand's own exclusion tool applies to that brand at most. At 7Signs, according to askgamblers.com, a self-exclusion request went unanswered for about two months; at Sportaza a player reported after a permanent self-exclusion: „I noticed that my player account had been reopened!“ Questions on verification, limits and timing for winnings are collected on the page on withdrawals without OASIS.

„Was passiert mit der offenen Langzeitwette?“ (what happens to my open long-term bet?), a Tipico customer asks after his block. § 8(2) governs participation from the moment of the block; how bets placed earlier are settled is not covered by the norms, and the operator is the point of contact.

The reach only ends when the block is lifted. Under § 8b a self-exclusion or third-party exclusion does not expire on its own, even if a period was named in the application. A written application to the RP Darmstadt after the minimum period is required; lifting takes effect at the earliest one week (self-exclusion) or one month (third-party exclusion) after receipt. Anyone who wants to lift an OASIS block will find the form, documents and reported waiting times on the dedicated page.

After that, the block is no longer visible to operators. Under § 23(5) the data is deleted six years after the block ends, and two weeks after a 24-hour block. A GDPR deletion request does not replace lifting the block.