If there is one thing that Polish people love to do it is gamble. However, they do not have it as easy as many others due to the government’s gambling regulations. Below you can find out what you need to know about gambling in Poland.
A History of Polish Gambling
Gambling has been popular in Poland for decades and the country took a less strict view on it during the 80s and 90s. Due to the lack of true regulations, hundreds, if not thousands of betting shops were opened throughout the country. Betting on sports became extremely popular, despite the fact that all winnings were taxed at 10%.
The Polish government implemented the first main regulation back in 2009, which was then amended further two years later. The new law made it illegal for Polish citizens to gamble online unless they are betting on sports. Furthermore, the sportsbook that they are using must be based in Poland. The Polish government banned online casino games because they feel that slot games, for example, are some of the most addictive forms of gambling out there.
Land-Based Casinos in Poland
In Poland, you will be able to find seven brick and mortar casinos, but these are all marketed towards foreign tourists as can be seen from the fact that they are attached to well known hotel chains. There is a land-based casino in Wroclaw, Warsaw, Lodz, Katowice, Krakow, and Bielsko-Biala. At these casinos you will be find a variety of blackjack, poker, roulette, and slots.
However, if you are a Polish international and live in Poland, you must be aware that you have to pay taxes on any winnings that you accrue when you visit one of the country’s brick and mortar casinos. Depending on the game that you played and the amount of money that you bet, the tax will be somewhere between 10-50%.
Some Famous Polish Gamblers
Due to the strict gambling regulations in place, there are not many well known gamblers from Poland. However, there are two Polish poker players that anyone who pays close attention to poker has heard of.
One of them is Dzmitry Urbanowicz, who was born in Belarus to Polish parents. He became interested in poker in his teens and has gone on to rake in an absolute fortune playing this game. Over his poker career, he has earned $5 million, with $1.5 million of that coming from a single outing.
The other one is Dominik Panka, who was born and raised in Brzesc Kujaski. He only started playing poker about 15 years ago, but he has gone on to prove that he is a natural. During his poker career he has earned himself $3 million, with his biggest cash prize being $1 million.
Polish Players Can Still Play at Online Casinos
The Polish government might be able to stop online casinos from operating inside their own country, but they can do absolutely nothing to prevent online casinos operating outside the country from accepting players that are based in Poland.
Therefore, any person that is living in Poland and wants to start gambling online simply has to find an online casino that is happy to accept Polish players. However, like with anything that involves spending your own hard-earned cash, you would be wise to do a bit of research before you create an account with an online casino. This way you can make sure that they are a legit online casino and you decrease the chances of signing into your account one day only to find that all of the money that you deposited has disappeared. Polish players can find a lot of great casino-related information at https://kasynoonlinepolska.pl
What Polish Players Need to Look for in An Online Casino
When you come across an online casino that accepts Polish players and is one that you are interested in creating an account with, there are a number of things that you need to look at before taking the plunge. Below we take a closer look at what you need to consider.
Licenses
One of the first things that you should check when you come across an online casino is where it has got its license from. If it has a license from the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Gibraltar Licensing Authority, or the Curacao Internet Gambling Association, then you can be certain that the online casino is a secure and fair place to play.
These gambling authorities have worked hard to get their solid reputations, so they are not going to award their licenses to online casinos that could tarnish their reputation. Any casino that has a license from one of these has certainly earned it.
Bonuses
Online casinos offer bonuses in order to entice new players to create an account with them. Players in Poland can often come across lucrative Welcome Bonuses, so always look around before diving right in. It would be quite annoying to commit to the first decent Welcome Bonus that you come across only to then find an online casino that is offering a better one.
Furthermore, you should always check out the wagering requirements that are attached to a Welcome Bonus. If, for example, there are wagering requirements of 45x, then we recommend that you look elsewhere.
Banking Options
Whenever you come across an online casino that interests you, you should always take a closer look at the banking options that are available to you. You should look for the following options as these payment methods accept Polish currency. When possible, you should always use your own country’s currency so as to avoid conversion fees.
- Mastercard
- PayU
- Visa
- MultiTransfer
- Klik and Pay
- Paymill
- Payzoff
- EBANX
- SecurionPay
- Worldpay
- 2Checkout
- Wirecard
- NextPay
Customer Support
Customer support is something that is really important, but it is even more important for gamblers who gamble from a different country, like Polish gamblers have to do.
When you come across an online casino that you like the look of, read a few reviews to see what people are saying about their customer support. If you come across a stream of negativity, we would advise you to go elsewhere. It is best if the online casino has live chat, a phone number, and an email address.