The Polish gambling market is one of the fastest growing markets worldwide, despite the country’s relatively small size compared to its much larger competitors such as the UK or Canada. The Polish market has undergone many changes over the years in terms of legal conditions. Still, today it has the potential to become one of the most important markets in Eastern Europe, with annual revenues constantly increasing.
In this article, we will share with you all you need to know about what an online casino needs to provide to get a license and work legally in Poland. Also, you will learn how to be sure you have chosen the best so-called in Polish “zagraniczne kasyna z bonusem bez depozytu”, which translates to a foreign casino with no deposit bonus.
What Types of Gambling Activities are Allowed in Poland Today?
According to the law, the following legal gambling options are available for Polish players:
- Casino games, such as poker, bingo, roulette, slots, etc.;
- Bets;
- Lotteries.
Some of the things we mentioned have specific restrictions. For example, you can only participate in poker tournaments with at least ten active players.
Online and offline gambling activities are two separate categories. Overall, online gambling includes betting and lotteries, both subject to government monopoly.
Even though you may find many great online game developers based in Poland, most online casinos are considered illegal in the country. So these developers work mainly with foreign markets.
Licenses in Poland – All You Need to Know
For many years, online casinos were not legal in Poland, and sports betting was the only available way to win real money. However, the situation changed in 2009 when the local law on gambling allowed citizens to play in online casinos operating in Poland, but it did not apply to international casinos.
Even though Polish citizens can’t legally gamble in international online casinos, it is challenging for the state to regulate this. However, many Poles still prefer foreign operators, although the latter can’t obtain a license.
Licenses in Poland are issued for opening a specific gambling establishment and not for conducting activities in the field of gambling as a whole. Therefore, gambling events, including poker tournaments, must be licensed separately.
The validity of a license for a casino, bookmaker, or bingo hall is six years, and it lasts for three months for poker tournaments, purely for the duration of a specific event. In some cases, the license may be revoked.
The law regulates the number of land-based casinos and bingo parlors in the regions, so not everyone will be able to get a license, even if they meet all the requirements and follow all the rules. For example, there can only be one casino for every 250,000 inhabitants in a separate municipality. For the region to have two casinos, 500,000 people must live there, and so on. The conditions for opening a bingo hall are somewhat more favorable – one establishment is allowed for every 100,000 people.
To obtain a license, the operating company must have a registered office in Poland and submit a package of documents. It should contain data about the company, comprehensive information about the future institution, financial investment plan, etc.
