Seven years after outlawing gambling, the Polish government is considering a new legislation that will allow sports betting and online poker again in the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin confirmed that the government is working on a new gambling bill. In an interview with Polish Radio, Gowin admitted that “Poland suffered enormous, multibillion losses” after the Gambling Act was introduced by then Prime Minister Donald Tusk in 2009. That bill banned gambling outside casinos and online.
“That is why a few months ago we decided to change the law so that money flowed back into the budget,” Gowin said, according to the Polish news outlet.
In May, Poland’s Ministry of Finance hinted that the revisions to the country’s gambling laws will include allowing Polish-licensed online operators to offer online slots, provided they toe the line regarding responsible gambling protections for consumers. But the latest draft indicated that online slots would be nationalized, operating solely under the national lottery services.
The Ministry of Finance also planned to authorize land-based slots, but these “have to be covered by the state monopoly performed by a designated entity.” The Ministry notes that slots are “extremely addictive” and thus their use will be confined to “dedicated areas under control.”
Bookmakers, however, would still operate in the fringe economy, Gowin said. The ministry intends to beef up enforcement efforts against international operators serving the Polish market, primarily by the standard IP- and payment-blocking mechanisms. The ministry also threatens “more severe consequences” for operators who continue to flout the law.
“Over the next several months gambling will remain in [a shady area of the economy], and Poles will continue to lose PLN 100-300 million a month,” the deputy prime minister said, noting that the European Commission has already given its approval to move ahead.
The Ministry previously said that it expects its new gambling regime to take effect on January 1, 2017. In the meantime, the revisions have been submitted to various other branches of government for their approval. Govin said a second bill will emerge once the first law is enacted to “liberalize” the system to make it “safe to use bookmaker services, and play poker online.”
