Unregulated Online Gambling Operators Thrive in Poland
While Poland has a regulated online gambling industry, the majority of gambling revenues are disappearing into the unregulated market. The market is now worth €1 billion a year in Poland, however, the country’s four licensed operators account for just 9% of it.
The blanket ban on online casinos and poker in Poland means that the government misses out on roughly €142 million in annual tax revenue.
Defence logistic attorney Anna Wietrzynska-Ciolkowska recently explained, “it is estimated that Poland loses approximately PLN 600 million (approximately €142 million) in potential tax revenue, which would be paid in Poland by international betting operators if they were allowed to have a Polish license. I do not have any similar data for poker, but I would assume that the figure would be similar.”
Poland is also facing scrutiny from the European Commission which considers the practice of only granting licenses to Polish operators as forbidden under current EU treaties. Poland now allows non-Polish payment processors such as Neteller, however, it seems that for now the country is content to allow unregulated operators to thrive.
