Poland’s remote gambling industry is experiencing a dramatic shift in momentum, with player interest now surpassing land-based gaming. This increase in popularity has pushed lawmakers and industry stakeholders to acknowledge the shortcomings of existing legislation. A recent discussion at the Economic Forum in Karpacz, titled “The Online Gambling Grey Zone – Challenges and Directions for Change,” highlighted the urgent need for reform.
Experts Find Current Polish Gambling Laws Inadequate for Modern Operations: Key Insights
- The debate at the Economic Forum in Karpacz, featuring Polish lawmakers and industry stakeholders, estimated that the unregulated iGaming sector generated roughly PLN 65 billion (approximately €15 billion) in FY2024.
- Experts found political inaction and threat from Russian casinos as the two leading causes behind Poland’s thriving unregulated market. The lack of strict regulation was deemed responsible for Poland failing to keep up with the global nature of the modern remote gambling sector.
- While the 2016 Gambling Act helped reduce illegal operations by up to 40-50%, experts pointed out that the regulation lacks provisions for incorporating digital tools required for quicker resolution.
The Pressing Need for Modern Regulatory Provisions
Poland’s situation regarding online gambling is neither unique nor the first of its kind. Several of its neighbours in the EU have faced similar situations in recent times. The most notable of these is Finland, which is currently reforming its gambling legislation to keep up with the evolving demands of the sector. Starting in 2026, Finland will open its markets to private gambling operators, and efforts are already underway.
At the Economic Forum, an annual international meeting of economic and political leaders held each September at the ski and spa resort of Karpacz, Poland, a panel discussion titled “The Online Gambling Grey Zone – Challenges and Directions for Change” took place. Jari Vähänen, the former VP of Finnish state-owned Veikkaus Oy and Chairman of the Finnish Gambling Association, shared his experiences regarding the regulation of the iGaming sector. Currently, online gambling in Finland is operated under the state-owned Veikkaus Oy umbrella, similar to how Poland governs the industry.
Vähänen explained that a state monopoly is not effective in the modern era, as consumers often find ways to bypass stringent laws and gamble on offshore platforms, thus defeating the core purpose of a regulated market. As a counter-measure, Finnish lawmakers agreed to end the state monopoly in favour of an open market under government oversight. The draft bill is currently awaiting parliamentary clearance, and it’s expected to be enacted into law by the beginning of 2026, followed by a one-year transition period. Drawing on his country’s recent trials concerning the operations of online casino sites in Finland, Vähänen noted:
The regulations should be simple and clear. Conditions must be created where operators want to apply for a licence. The rules don’t have to be perfect, but they must be reasonable. It’s important that players are satisfied and choose legal operators themselves.
He then offered a crucial advice for Polish lawmakers:
My advice for Poland is to reach for such tools, especially since they have already been proven in many European countries.
Lack of Political Intervention and Prevalence of Offshore Casinos
Wojciech Król, MP and Chairman of the National Media Council of Poland, on the other hand, criticised the previous Polish government for failing to address the growing menace of unregulated remote gambling. He highlighted the lack of decisive action and multiple inconclusive analyses without proactive implementation as the primary reasons behind the problem. Król observed:
In my 10 years of parliamentary work, I have repeatedly heard responses from officials along the lines of: ‘We are analysing, we are looking into it, this is one of our priorities, a detailed analysis is underway. This is a response that boils down to the fact that nothing has been done.
He further explained the ramifications of his peers’ failures:
The lack of regulation can foster money laundering. It can also, even in part, illegally finance organisations conducting hostile, hybrid, or terrorist activities.
Moderator of the panel, Maciej Akimow, agreeing with this chain of thought, added that the real beneficiaries of Poland’s thriving remote gambling market were Russian casinos. Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, some casinos with links to Russia have been operating in Eastern Europe, moving funds across borders.
Ukrainian authorities recently discovered that several Russia-backed casinos have been targeting Ukrainian consumers to channel funds out of the country. The authorities have since accelerated efforts to identify and block illegal casinos operating in the country.
Ireneusz Raś, Finland’s Deputy Minister of Sport, admitted that the 2016 Gambling Act proved to be inadequate in regulating the remote gambling sector. He said:
Our law is very conservative. The Polish state is not interested in promoting gambling; we want to protect citizens from addiction.
Raś proposed the induction of digital tools for faster identification and IP blocking of illegal websites. He also suggested clearly labelling the legal status of remote gambling operators and educating players. Raś explained:
Sports partners should clearly mark their cooperation with legal operators. This educates fans and takes the oxygen away from the grey zone.
The discussion in Karpacz was an indication that both Polish experts and experience of other European countries point to the need for a timely reform of gambling legislation. Current strict regulations and the state monopoly have failed to effectively manage illicit operators. Moving to a modernised licensing system, while keeping robust protections for players, could prove to be a practical approach by boosting government revenue and bringing millions of players out of the grey market into a regulated, legal framework.