🇵🇱Poland gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Poland’s gambling market is governed by the Gambling Act of 19 November 2009, significantly amended with effect from 1 April 2017. The amendment opened a narrow online market: licensed bookmakers may offer online sports betting, while online casino games, online poker and other games of chance became a monopoly of the state-owned company Totalizator Sportowy. Lotteries are also reserved to the state operator, which runs Lotto. The result is a hybrid model combining licensing and monopoly.

Product	Online status	Who may offer it
Sports betting	Licensed	Bookmakers with Ministry of Finance permits
Online casino	Monopoly	Totalizator Sportowy
Online poker	Monopoly	Totalizator Sportowy
Lottery	Monopoly	Totalizator Sportowy

The regulator

Poland has no independent gambling regulator. The Minister of Finance issues permits and licences, approves game rules and keeps the domain register. In October 2024 the ministry created a dedicated Department of Gambling Market Regulation and Gambling Tax. The National Revenue Administration (including the Customs and Tax Service) carries out inspections and enforcement.

Licensing

Bookmakers need a permit from the Minister of Finance, valid for six years. Applicants must be a Polish joint-stock or limited liability company, or an EU/EEA company acting through a Polish representative or branch, and must meet capital, ownership transparency, security and responsible-gambling requirements. Land-based casinos require separate licences, which are limited by population. See how to obtain a gambling licence.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

Online betting with licensed bookmakers and online casino with Total Casino are legal. Any other online casino offering Polish players is illegal. Unusually in Europe, participating in illegal gambling is also an offence for players under the Fiscal Penal Code.

Taxation

• Sports betting: 12% of turnover (stakes), deducted before winnings, which critics say pushes bookmakers to offer lower odds than offshore rivals.
• Online casino and games: 50% of gross gaming revenue.
• Player winnings: 10% on larger prizes. A 2025 attempt to raise this to 15% was vetoed by the President.

Moving betting tax from turnover to gross revenue is widely discussed but had not been legislated by October 2026. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Advertising and promotion of gambling are banned, with exceptions for licensed betting and lotteries. Even permitted advertising must not target minors, must not suggest gambling brings success and must include warnings about the risks. Promoting illegal gambling, including by affiliates and influencers, is an offence. See gambling advertising rules.

Player-protection requirements

Legal operators must verify age and identity, offer limits and self-exclusion, display warnings and follow a responsible-gambling programme approved as part of their permit. There is no national exclusion register. See our Poland self-exclusion manual for how to exclude effectively.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

Since 2017 the Ministry of Finance has maintained the Register of Domains Used to Offer Gambling Contrary to the Act. Internet service providers must block listed domains, redirecting users to a warning page, and payment service providers may not process payments to them. The register now runs to tens of thousands of entries, but mirror domains, e-wallets and cryptocurrency limit its effect. Industry and think-tank studies estimate that a large share of Polish online casino play still happens on illegal sites. See payment blocking and ISP blocking.

What this means for players

Poland’s rules make the legal online casino market very small: only Total Casino, run by Totalizator Sportowy, may offer casino games. Most other casino sites seen by Polish players are illegal, and using them carries legal risk for the player as well as the operator. In practice that also means no Polish consumer protection, no access to Polish complaint routes and no guarantee of being paid.

Practical points for players:

• Check legality: the Ministry of Finance publishes a list of legal operators and the register of blocked domains. If you are redirected to a ministry warning page, the site is on the illegal list.
• Betting odds: the 12% turnover tax means stakes are effectively reduced before the bet is placed. Understanding this helps explain why the long-run cost of betting is higher than it appears; see how house edge works.
• Exclusion: with no national register, you must exclude with each legal operator. Write down every account before you start.
• Payments: payment providers may not process payments to listed domains, but e-wallets and crypto are often used to bypass this. A bank gambling block and blocking software add protection.
• Family: relatives worried about someone’s gambling can contact the behavioural addictions helpline or a local addiction clinic for advice.

If debts have built up, address them early with a debt counsellor; see managing money after gambling harm.

Recent developments and what to watch

• Liberalisation debate: private operators argue for licensed online casino, but as of mid-2026 neither the government nor the state operator supported it, and no bill was on the agenda.
• Tax reform: proposals to tax betting on gross revenue remain under discussion.
• Grey-market strategy: an interministerial team on the grey market began meeting in 2025.
• 2027 elections: seen as a possible turning point for reform.

For free help, see our Poland help directory. This page is general information, not legal advice.