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A year ago this week, Poland’s new gambling law took effect, with expectations high from industry insiders.The newly regulated market allowed international online sports betting operators to apply for a licence to operate in the country, but the 12% tax on turnover, as set by the Finance Ministry which grants the licenses, is seen as too high by many, especially for a country with a population under 40 million people.So, while some were optimistic, others expected the market to grow far slower than many others have, which way has it gone?
Totalizator Sportowy
While sports betting was not the only form of gambling that was legalised by the Polish government, bingo, casino games, and poker are all limited to Totalizator Sportowy, the state-run operator, with only sports betting open to applications for licenses.Totalizator Sportowy was expected to launch an online casino soon after the law change, but it was November before the bidding process for a tech supplier for the site began.
Lack of big names
Prior to the law change last year, Poland’s betting market was a legal grey area and several operators including bet365 and William Hill operated within the country, but they left before the law change and have made no attempt to apply for licenses since.This is the case across the board for the most part, with very few big-name companies applying for licenses in the Polish market.Lawmakers in the country were hoping for an influx of operators after the market became regulated, but it seems that the high tax rate was enough to put most off.As one of the only countries to tax on turnover as opposed to gross gambling revenue, Poland has one of the highest tax rates in Europe, and this seems to be too much for most operators.