Are there more ATMs or slot machines in Germany?

An interesting question that many a player is sure to have asked themselves is whether there are more ATMs or slot machines in Germany. The fact is that the number of both machines has decreased noticeably in recent years. But how many of which machines are there currently in Germany?

Back in June of this year, we reported on GambleJoe that not even the German government knows how many gaming machines there currently are in Germany. In response to an enquiry from CDU politician Gitta Connemann, the responsible Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) stated that there are no official figures on the number of gaming machines installed. There are only rough estimates of the number of active gaming machines in the annual report of the state gambling supervisory authorities.

How many gaming machines are there currently in Germany?

According to the annual report, the number of gaming machines in accordance with Section 33c GewO has continued to decline in recent years. In 2014, there were still around 270,000 such gaming machines. In 2020, there were only 220,000 machines and in 2022, the number fell to around 180,000. At the end of November 2021, we reported that an estimated one in three gaming machines in Germany had been dismantled in 2021.

The German vending machine industry assumes that there are currently only around 161,000 cash-operated gaming machines in Germany. This also includes screen machines and sports machines such as billiards, darts and table football.

How many ATMs are there currently in Germany?

The number of ATMs has also continued to fall in recent years. According to Statista, there were still 58,909 ATMs with a cash dispensing function in Germany in 2016. Over the following years, the number has continued to fall, so that at the end of 2023 there were only 52,166 such ATMs.

The savings banks alone still operated around 21,000 ATMs nationwide at the end of 2023. The Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken accounted for a further 14,700 ATMs with a cash dispensing function. The remaining 16,000 or so machines are distributed among other banks.

Number of ATMs in Germany (2016 - 2023):

• 2016: 58.909
• 2017: 58.112
• 2018: 58.771
• 2019: 58.445
• 2020: 57.090
• 2021: 55.318
• 2022: 53.569
• 2023: 52.166

Source: Statista.com

In the future, the number of ATMs with a cash dispensing function in Germany is expected to continue to decline. This is due to the fact that more and more customers are paying in shops with debit or credit cards. In addition, supermarkets in particular are now a good alternative to traditional ATMs, as cash withdrawals are also possible at the checkout.

Conclusion: ATMs vs. gaming machines in Germany

The fact is that there are currently around 52,000 ATMs in Germany from which customers can still withdraw cash. In comparison, according to the German gaming machine industry, there are currently more than three times as many cash-operated gaming machines in Germany (approx. 161,000). In this regard, however, it must be taken into account that this also includes screen machines and sports machines such as billiards, darts and table football. Furthermore, there are no official figures on how many gaming machines there are in Germany, as these are only ever estimates.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/betrug-geldautomat-sicherheit-bank-2048851/