Gambling activities in Poland are strictly regulated, and over the years, there have been many changes to laws. At this time, there are legal operating land casinos in this country, but the offering of any online casino by an independent company within Poland is banned.
Polish gamblers are legally able to engage in gambling activities that are regulated by the Act on Gambling Games, which was established in 2019. This includes slots, bingo, casino gambling, sports betting, and lottery games.
When it comes to online gambling in Poland, there are some grey areas. The only licensed casino operating is Totalizer Sportowy. For those that wish to have more choices, there are no written laws that prohibit Polish players from accessing offshore casino online sites that are licensed and regulated.
Online Gambling Laws
For those that want to engage in real money play online, they should be aware of the current laws in place. When online gambling started to become popular in the 2000s, Poland did not take alter any gambling laws or even address iGaming.
This changed in 2009 when the Gambling Law of 2009 was passed.
This new law placed a ban on all internet gambling except for betting on sports. The law even made it a criminal offense for players to engage in any form of gambling that was not being regulated by the state. Even with these laws in place, the government did not take any action against players who were playing online.
However, in 2014, the government stated they would start prosecuting players, and there would be no warning given. This ended up being more of a scare tactic as only a few players were issued small fines.
The Future of Online Gambling
The government has a strong stance on restricting online casinos from operating within this country. Even with the latest research that shows how much revenue could be generated by legalizing online casinos, there has been no talk of this becoming a possibility. Our Facebook expert, Krystyna Przybylo has kept up to date with all discussions in Poland regarding any possibility of new laws coming into effect.
There is chatter that the national lottery will become legal to play online, but it may take another year or two to happen. As for any large changes to the online casino laws that are current, there will not be much to expect in the near future.
Poland does have an option to take the same route as various EU member states by offering offshore operators licenses, but for now, the Polish Government is hesitant to do so.
You can expect things to stay just as they if you are looking to engage in online real money play at a casino site. If you want to enjoy leading game selections, you will have to rely on services offered by offshore operators.
