Online Betting in Poland: How It Differs from Casino Games
Online betting is the one form of online gambling that private companies can offer in Poland, and only with a permit from the Ministry of Finance. Casino games remain part of the state monopoly. Here is how the two differ and where to find licensed betting operators.
Betting is for adults aged 18 and over. It can lead to addiction and financial harm. Use only operators with a Polish permit: taking part in illegal gambling can lead to a fine equal to your winnings.
Private companies can offer online betting with a permit
The Gambling Act makes internet gambling a state monopoly, with two exceptions: mutual bets (zakłady wzajemne) and promotional lotteries (art. 5(1b)). Mutual bets include sports betting with a bookmaker. A company may accept bets online only with a betting permit (zezwolenie na urządzanie zakładów wzajemnych) from the Ministry of Finance (arts 6(3) and 14(3)).
The Ministry of Finance's list of legal online operators included 17 betting companies with 18 website addresses when we checked it on (page version 103.0, published ).
A betting permit does not cover casino games
A betting permit covers betting only. It does not allow a bookmaker to offer slot, card, roulette-type or dice games online. Those games are reserved to the state monopoly, as our guide to whether online casinos are legal in Poland explains. If a betting website also offers casino games to people in Poland, it is going beyond what a Polish betting permit allows.
Search licensed betting operators
Online sports betting is the one form of online gambling that private companies can offer in Poland, and only with a permit from the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry publishes its list of licensed betting companies as a plain table (17 companies when we checked on ). betting.org.pl has a fully searchable database of licensed betting operators.
18+ only. Betting can lead to addiction and financial loss. Using unlicensed gambling websites in Poland can lead to fines and fiscal penalties. The operators in the Ministry's list hold betting permits from the Ministry of Finance.
The same protections and rules apply
- Betting is for people aged 18 and over (Gambling Act, art. 27).
- Legal betting websites must follow approved responsible gambling rules, check your age, require registration and give you tools to control your activity (art. 15i).
- Unlicensed betting websites can be added to the register of blocked gambling websites, and the penalties for players apply to illegal betting as well as to casino games.
Tax on betting winnings
Betting winnings are exempt from income tax only when a single win is 2,280 zł or less. A larger win is taxed at 10% of the whole amount, withheld by the operator (Personal Income Tax Act, arts 21(1)(6a)(a), 30(1)(2) and 41(4)). Our guide to tax on gambling winnings in Poland compares betting with casino games.
- Behavioural addictions helpline 801 889 880 Daily, 17:00–22:00 · Charged at your operator's rate
- Support Centre for adults in mental crisis 800 70 2222 24 hours a day, 7 days a week · Free
In an emergency, call 112. Numbers listed by KCPU and the Ministry of Health, checked . More gambling support in Poland
Sources
- Gambling Act of 19 November 2009 (Ustawa z dnia 19 listopada 2009 r. o grach hazardowych)
- Legal gambling: entities legally offering gambling online (Legalny hazard — Legalne podmioty w Internecie)
- Personal Income Tax Act (Ustawa o podatku dochodowym od osób fizycznych)
English explanations are our own translations of Polish law. The official Polish text prevails. How we check our sources.