Polish Gambling Terms Explained in English

Official Polish gambling websites and legal texts are mostly in Polish. This glossary explains the terms you are most likely to meet, with our English translation and a short explanation.

Sources checked · How we keep this page up to date

Translations are our own and are meant to help you understand official pages. Where the exact meaning matters, the Polish text is the one that counts.

Laws, authorities and identifiers

Ustawa o grach hazardowych — the Gambling Act
The Act of 19 November 2009 that regulates gambling in Poland, including the online monopoly, advertising rules and fines. How the Act treats online casinos.
Kodeks karny skarbowy (KKS) — the Fiscal Penal Code
The code of fiscal offences. It includes offences for organising or taking part in illegal gambling. Penalties for players.
Dziennik Ustaw (Dz.U.) — Journal of Laws
The official journal in which Polish laws are published. References such as “Dz.U. 2025 poz. 595” point to a published text.
Ministerstwo Finansów — Ministry of Finance
The ministry that grants gambling permits, keeps the register of blocked gambling websites and publishes the list of legal operators.
Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa (KAS) — National Revenue Administration
The tax and customs administration. Its offices enforce the Gambling Act and impose fines.
naczelnik urzędu celno-skarbowego — head of a customs and tax office
The official who imposes administrative fines under the Gambling Act.
Totalizator Sportowy — Totalizator Sportowy
The state-owned company that the Ministry of Finance lists for online casino games and for number games and lotteries.
KCPU (Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdziałania Uzależnieniom) — National Centre for Prevention of Addictions
The national body for addiction prevention. It lists helplines and a map of treatment centres. Gambling support in Poland.
UOKiK (Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów) — Office of Competition and Consumer Protection
The consumer protection authority. It lists free advice services for consumers. Complaints and consumer help.
UODO (Urząd Ochrony Danych Osobowych) — Personal Data Protection Office
The data protection authority. You can complain to its President about misuse of your personal data.
KRS (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy) — National Court Register
The register of companies. Official lists often show a company’s KRS number to identify it.
PESEL — national identification number
The personal identification number used in Poland. Gambling operators record it for large wins, or other details if a winner has no PESEL. Rules for visitors and expats.

Games and products

gry hazardowe — gambling
The legal umbrella term covering games of chance, betting, card games and slot games.
gry losowe — games of chance
Games whose result depends mainly on chance, such as lotteries, number games, roulette-type games and dice games.
gry na automatach — slot games
Games on machines or online that follow slot-machine rules and involve chance, including some free-play commercial games. Which games count as casino games.
gry w karty — card games
Blackjack, poker and baccarat played for money or prizes. Online poker in Poland.
gry cylindryczne — roulette-type games
Literally “cylinder games”: games where a rotating device decides the result, including online versions.
gry w kości — dice games
Games played with dice for money or prizes.
zakłady wzajemne — mutual bets (betting)
Betting on sports results or other events. It is the only online gambling product private companies can offer with a permit. Online betting in Poland.
bukmacherstwo — bookmaking
Betting where the winnings depend on the odds agreed between the bookmaker and the person betting.
totalizator — pool betting
Betting where winnings depend on the total amount staked by all participants.
gry liczbowe — number games
Lottery-style games in which you choose numbers, such as lotto.
loteria promocyjna — promotional lottery
A prize draw you enter by buying a product or service. Along with betting, it is outside the online monopoly.
kasyno online — online casino
The Ministry of Finance’s label for slot, card, roulette-type and dice games on the internet.

Permits and enforcement

monopol państwa — state monopoly
An activity reserved to the state. Online casino games are part of it. The state monopoly explained.
koncesja — concession (licence)
The licence needed to run a physical casino. It does not cover online games.
zezwolenie — permit
Permission from the Ministry of Finance, for example to organise betting.
zgłoszenie — notification
A formal notice to the authorities that is enough for some small games and events.
regulamin — rules / terms
The approved rules of a game or operator, including how complaints are handled.
regulamin odpowiedzialnej gry — responsible gambling rules
Rules that every legal online operator must have approved and publish, covering age checks, activity controls and help information. Protection tools at legal websites.
Legalny hazard — Legal gambling
The Ministry of Finance web page that lists entities legally offering gambling online.
Rejestr domen — register of (blocked) website addresses
Short name for the Ministry register of website addresses used to offer gambling illegally. The blocked-website register.
kara pieniężna — administrative fine
A fine imposed by a customs and tax office. For players of illegal gambling it equals their winnings. Penalties for players.
grzywna — fine (criminal)
A fine imposed for an offence, usually set in daily units.
stawka dzienna — daily unit
The unit in which criminal fines are set. Its value depends on the person’s income and circumstances.
przestępstwo skarbowe — fiscal offence
A more serious offence under the Fiscal Penal Code.
wykroczenie skarbowe — fiscal petty offence
A less serious offence under the Fiscal Penal Code, punished with a smaller fine.
reklama / promocja — advertising / promotion
Both are banned for casino games, with narrow exceptions. Bonus offers from offshore websites.

Money and complaints

wygrana — winnings
The amount won in a game.
stawka — stake
The amount paid to take part in a game or place a bet.
zaświadczenie o uzyskanej wygranej — certificate of winnings
A named certificate the operator must issue if you ask, no later than the day after the win or payout. Keep proof of your winnings.
podatek od gier — gaming tax
The tax that gambling operators pay on their activity. It is separate from players’ income tax.
zryczałtowany podatek dochodowy — flat-rate income tax
The 10% tax on lottery and betting wins above the exemption limit. Tax on winnings.
reklamacja — complaint
A formal complaint to a business, made under its rules. Gambling complaints.
przedawnienie — time limit (limitation)
Gambling claims expire six months after they become due.

Sources

English explanations are our own translations of Polish law. The official Polish text prevails. How we check our sources.