Polish government says no to liberalised market
New Poland Gambling Act to include a state monopoly for online casino and IP and payments blocking
The Polish government yesterday ruled out the introduction of a liberalised online gambling framework, instead passing measures to clamp down on unlicensed operators and introduce an online casino monopoly.
The draft bill of amendments to the country’s Gambling Act, which has now been sent to the European Commission for review, will see the introduction of IP and payments blocking and keeps in place the 12% turnover tax on sports betting.
The monopoly for online casino will be operated by Totalizator Sportowy (Polish State Lottery), which earlier this week saw its Lotto product become the title sponsor of Poland’s top-tier football league, Ekstraklasa.
The amendments come despite repeated calls from vice-Prime Minister Jaros??aw Gowin to change the turnover-based levy in favour of a 20% tax on revenues and adopt an online framework similar to that seen in Denmark.
There are currently seven-licensed bookmakers operating in Poland, including STS, Totolotek and Fortuna, with unlicensed operators estimated to account for approximately 90% of the market.
“Given the fact that the taxation rules haven’t changed, I don’t see big European operators applying for the online betting licences,” Michal Kopec, senior manager of business development at Better Collective, told EGR.
“They haven’t done so since 2009 and won’t do it now either,” Kopec added.
However, the introduction of more stringent measures to reduce the unlicensed market will be welcomed by the seven licensed operators. Speaking to EGR, Totolotek CEO Adam Lamentowicz described the amendments as “good news”.
Following a review by the European Commission, the bill is expected to come back to be voted on by the Polish parliament, currently controlled by the ruling Law and Justice Party, prior to January 2017 before becoming law.