Gambling is the most popular entertainment industry in Poland, and interest in it keeps on growing rapidly. The scale of its success is measured in shocking numbers. According to recent estimates, the gaming revenue in this country reached €402.1m, but the numbers are higher each year. This fact points out that more and more people take interest in, so called in Poland, “polskie kasyno na pieniądze” because it is a great opportunity to enjoy yourself and earn big sums of money and bonuses effortlessly.
Due to its ever-growing popularity, the gambling industry is strictly regulated by local legislation in Poland. There are specific rules that define the requirements both for casino operators and players. The activity of online casinos should be monitored and examined because it will prevent money laundering and other illegal actions.
The Ministry of Finance in Poland introduced the Polish Gambling Act on the 18th of November in 2009. This document is the ground on which the whole gambling industry stands. This act relates to both land-based and online casinos, imposing main prohibitions and permits for them. All regulations are connected with certificates of winnings, records of issued winnings, data archiving and recording, and security protocols. Let’s have a closer look at basic laws and regulations for online and land-based casinos in Poland.
- The Polish Gambling Act defines four types of gambling games: games of chance, betting, card games, and slot machines. This act doesn’t apply to games that have no element of chance.
- Every casino operator should obtain three types of licenses that relate to the permit to own a casino, license for betting products, and document about the beginning of casino activity
- To receive the license, casino operators should provide several documents that include the terms and conditions of each game, rules for identity proof of every player, and technical details of the website. It is also important to point out that all documents must be translated into Polish. In case there are some problems with documentation, the applicant will have to provide supplementary documents.
- Every license is given for a 6-year period, after which it should be renewed.
- The authority is responsible for decisions concerning casino game classifications and issuing licenses for casino operators. If the operator breaks the law, the regulator is entitled to terminate the license. It can happen if the operator starts money laundering, fails to provide financial statements, or performs the activity thanks to a foreign operator.
- Only two types of betting are considered legit. They are bookmaking and totalizator system. Briefly, bookmaking, and totalizator systems mean betting for money on the result of different events including sports tournaments, races, games, and even virtual events.
- When it comes to specific types of casino games, the government allows operators to provide such game types as cylindrical games, dice games, and slot machine games.
- All players should be at least 18 years old to be able to play online casino games. Different operators may offer different ways to prove the player’s identity.
- Advertising of wheels, card, machine, and dice are banned. But this prohibition does not apply to lotteries, telebingo, and cash lotteries.
- The number of taxes varies by game type. The Gambling Act defines that a raffle lottery has 10% of the tax, a cash lottery – 15%, a lottery – 20%, a telebingo game -25%, wheel game – 50%. Gaming taxes go to the state budget of Poland.
Conclusion
So, this article gives a clear understanding of how casino games are regulated in Poland. In fact, the government of the country strictly regulates the activity of casino operators. It implies that players can seek assurance from the local government concerning all possible illegal actions. In general, launching a business in the gambling industry takes a lot of effort, but all restrictions and regulations make casino games safe and secure for modern Polish gamblers in 2022.
