Dusseldorf - Playing online poker for real money is an illegal activity in Germany. Gamers who ignore the ban could theoretically even face time behind prison bars.

Practically speaking, however, the real problem for poker fans is enforcing their winnings from providers who are often far away in other countries, says Michael Terhaag, a lawyer in Germany.

In the event of a problem, the gamers "generally have no legal options for suing to get their money back," the expert in internet law told the Hamburg-based Computer Bild Spiele.

They must also be aware of the fact that it's impossible to rule out cheating when playing poker on the net.

That said, Michael Terhaag "doesn't know of a case" whether a player has been prosecuted for playing illegal online poker. (dpa)