List of Online Casinos in Poland
The online gambling games are banned in Poland for private operators: the only legal online casino is Total Casino, run by the state-owned Totalizator Sportowy since December 2018, but the online betting is allowed in legal betting websites. In Neon Slots we have prepared the list of online betting websites legal in Poland.
Total Casino and the licensed bookmaker STS are the most visited legal gambling sites in the country. Offshore brands such as Vavada, GGBet and Ice Casino also attract many Polish players, but they hold no Polish licence, so playing there is illegal and their domains can be entered in the Ministry of Finance blocking register.
49 land-based casinos operated in Poland at the end of 2024, run by 10 companies. Their revenue from games in 2024 was PLN 8.66 billion. Since 2017 slot machines outside casinos may also be operated in state-run gaming arcades: there were 2,058 of them at the end of 2024. Revenue from online casino games of the state monopoly reached PLN 50.6 billion in 2024 and online betting PLN 14.9 billion; the revenue of the whole legal market grew by 26.6% to PLN 94.1 billion, and the gambling tax brought the state budget PLN 5.27 billion. The tax levied on betting operators is 12% of the stakes, while slot machine and casino games are taxed at 50% of the difference between stakes and winnings.
Casino Games in Poland
These are some of the slots that are in greater demand in Poland: Sizzling Hot, Book of Ra, Lucky Lady's Charm, Just Jewels, Playtech's Age of the Gods series and fruit slots by EGT such as 40 Burning Hot and Flaming Hot. Greentube games have been available at Total Casino since 2021, and Playtech has supplied its platform and games since the casino's launch. Long-standing favourites also include Starburst, Copy Cats, Fairytale Legends: Hansel and Gretel, Shangri La and Twin Spin. Sizzling Hot by Greentube is still one of the most played slots in the country. This is a fruit slot that has a simple design and a small number of bonuses. This five-reel slot, familiar to many in land-based casinos, has gradually generated much demand online. Starburst by NetEnt is a five-reel slot whose theme is related to jewellery. The slot comes with 10 paylines and features a Wild symbol that expands throughout the reels. The highest multiplier for five golden Bar symbols is x250. Copy Cats by NetEnt is a slot that features 5 reels, 25 paylines and a chance to win a round of free spins and play a bonus game. The highest multiplier for five red cats is x200. Fairytale Legends: Hansel and Gretel by NetEnt is a five-reel slot with 10 paylines. The slot features re-spins with Wild symbols that land in stacks. Three bonuses are triggered at random: you get some extra winning symbols. Three more bonuses are launched once a certain picture is landed. This is when the Pick-Me bonus game, a series of free spins or an instant reward kick in. Shangri La by NextGen is a slot that comes with 5 reels and 15 paylines, the slot also has two Wild symbols. The bonus option turns one of the reels into a Wild one. The slot features two types of free spins and two bonus games. The highest multiplier for five symbols of golden statues of a tiger is x3,000. Twin Spin by NetEnt is a five-reel slot that features 243 ways to produce winning combinations and an opportunity to win up to 270,000 coins. Two reels out of five will always have identical symbols. There may also be three or four reels, which will increase your chances to win. The highest multiplier for five pictures of gemstones is x1,000.
Gambling Legislation
The strictness of the Gambling Games Act can be explained by the circumstances by which it came into force. Back in 2009 there was a political scandal that involved lobbying for the amendments to the old Act on Games and Betting. The scandal was over slot machines, this is why the law virtually prohibited the slots and left them only within the casinos; since the 2017 amendment they are also allowed in gaming arcades run by the state monopoly. Gambling Games Act regulates both land-based facilities and online platforms. The law subdivides gambling into three different classes: Games of luck (lotteries, roulette, cards, dice and bingo), Betting (racing and bookmaking) and Slot machines. Online business has no definition of its own. The law prescribes provisions for online gambling or betting: since 2017 all online gambling except betting and promotional lotteries is reserved for the state monopoly. Minors (persons under the age of 18) can only participate in promo lotteries and raffles. All gambling games, bingo games, betting systems and slot machines are only placed on appropriate platforms: casinos, bingo halls and betting facilities.
Games that are allowed in Poland
Poker is defined as one of the games of luck. Poker may be played in casinos, including tournaments with the participation of at least 10 players; since 2017 poker tournaments may also be held outside casinos after notification to the Director of the Revenue Administration Chamber, and online poker may only be offered by the state monopoly. Sports betting is allowed both online and in land-based establishments. Betting on the results of games of numbers (of keno type) is prohibited. The law also applies to bookmaking and betting on horse racing. Casino games are only allowed in appropriate facilities. They are cylindrical games (including roulette), card games (blackjack, poker, baccarat), dice and slot machines. Terminal games are included into the category of slot machines. Bingo and lotteries are subdivided into several types. They are regulated differently depending on the type. For example, money lotteries and telebingo are a state monopoly, while cash bingo requires a permit (no cash bingo halls operated in 2024). Games of numbers (keno) are also legal, as long as they are organised by the state. Raffle lotteries with a prize pool not exceeding the base amount only require a notification to the head of the customs and tax office. It must also be noted that there is almost no bingo available in Poland.
Regulators
Gambling industry in Poland is regulated by the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry determines which games will be considered as gambling and issues licenses for casinos, bingo halls and betting points of sale. Since March 2017 compliance with the law is monitored by the National Revenue Administration (KAS), which replaced the Customs Service. Directors of the Revenue Administration Chambers issue permits for promotional, raffle and audiotex lotteries and accept notifications of poker tournaments, and KAS bodies impose fines for illegal operation and conduct inspections (1,388 inspections in 2024). Heads of the customs and tax offices in the provinces also conduct inspections, while the gambling tax is paid to the First Tax Office in Bydgoszcz.
Gambling Licenses
Licenses in Poland are subdivided into three different kinds: For casinos, For cash bingo salons and For betting The number of casinos and bingo halls is limited. Only one casino and one bingo hall can be opened for each 250,000 city residents. There is yet another limit of no more than one casino for 650,000 residents of the province. The establishments can also be opened on cruise ships. Licenses are issued for specific establishments such as casinos, bingo salons or facilities with games of numbers and sports betting. These are the events that are licensed separately: Poker tournaments and lottery drawings. Only companies that have an office registered in Poland (or, since 2017, EU/EEA companies acting through a branch or a representative in Poland) can run a gaming establishment. These are the events that do not require any individual permit: Promo lotteries, Raffles and Bingo raffles. A package of documents must be submitted when applying for a license. The documents must contain the applicant's data, the details of what exactly is to be licensed and economic and financial plans of investments among other information to be provided. A financial security must also be provided for the casino license in the amount of PLN 1,200,000 (PLN 480,000 for online betting). License for casinos, bingo and betting facilities remains valid for 6 years. Permits for raffles, promo lotteries and audiotex lotteries are issued for the duration of the game, but no longer than 2 years. Payments for a license for land-based establishments vary in the following way:
- Casinos - 32,000% of the base amount or approximately PLN 2.36 million at the 2024 base amount
- Bingo halls - 5,500% of the base amount or approximately PLN 405,000
- Betting permit - 2,000% of the base amount or approximately PLN 147,000 plus 50% from each bet making point; online betting requires a further 2,000% plus 5,000% for each website
- Raffles and bingo - 100% or about PLN 7,360. If the game is conducted only in one province, it is 50% or about PLN 3,680
- Promo lotteries and audio and TV lotteries - 10% of the total cost of prizes, but no less than 50% of the base amount (about PLN 3,680)
- Poker tournaments - no longer require a paid permit; since 2017 they are notified to the Director of the Revenue Administration Chamber
Base amount for a calendar year is the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector (excluding bonuses from profit) in the second quarter of the previous year; for 2024 it was PLN 7,364.30.
Online gambling in Poland
All casino games online are banned for private operators; they may only be offered by the state monopoly, which launched Total Casino in December 2018. Private companies may only offer online betting, which is taxed at 12%. At the same time, the tax is levied on the bets placed by the players. An online operator must be a company based in Poland or, since 2017, in another EU/EEA state with a branch or an appointed representative in Poland. The website must have a domain name that belongs to this country (.pl). Data on games and players must be stored on servers in the EU/EEA and be accessible to the tax authorities. As a result, at first only four operators were issued licenses for online gambling: Fortuna Entertainment, Milenium, STS and Totolotek; at the end of 2024, 19 permits for online betting were in force. Before the 2017 reform, research conducted by the Ministry of Finance revealed that only 9% of players were using legal Polish websites. Over 20,000 people played on illegal websites. The overall amount of winnings was almost 6 million EUR. The ministry's website reported that criminal investigation was launched against over 1,000 people. In 2016 and 2017 operators started leaving the Polish market on a mass scale. William Hill suspended its operations in the county on April 1, 2017. Since the 2017 amendment the Ministry of Finance keeps a public register of domains offering gambling illegally, which internet providers must block and payment providers must not serve: nearly 48,000 domains were listed at the end of 2024, 8,712 of them added that year.
Development of the Gambling Market in Poland
Tightening legislation is hampering the development of the gambling market in Poland. The government is already losing pretty decent amounts. But so far the authorities prefer to block illegal websites and to prosecute the users for playing on them. At the same time the legal market keeps growing: its revenue rose by 26.6% in 2024, driven by the online casino games of the state monopoly. Yet at the same time the production in the country is developed quite well: this is where many developers of slot games are located. On the whole, the future of the gambling market seems to be uncertain. When the authorities pass laws on regulating the gambling industry that are more sparing and reasonable, the situation may change in favour of its development.
Developers of gaming software products
Many famous companies have their offices in Poland. Most often they are studios that create slots and other games. Yggdrasil is an example: the office of the developers is located in Krakow, and the administrative office is in Malta. There are other developers of slot machines, casino games, cabinets and casino equipment: Apollo Games, Alpa Electronic Games, Gamesystem, Fox Group, Nowogames S.A and Synot Polska. Industry of manufacturing of casino products in Poland is pretty well developed.
