Jaros?aw Gowin, Poland’s deputy PM and Minister of Science and Higher Education, has proposed legalizing online poker in the country.
Speaking at a press conference, Gowin outlined changes he’d like to see enacted to the country’s 2009 Gambling Act.
Gowin stressed that the proposals were his and did not come from the government, but said he hoped his plan would gain broad support in the Polish Parliament.
Gowin proposed raising the current 12 percent tax on sports betting turnover to be replaced by a 20 percent tax on betting revenue. Further, 10 percent of the tax would go to the Polish Olympic Committee and problem gambling initiatives.
Gowin also proposed letting Polish-licensed operators offer online poker and also to authorize private poker games in people’s homes. At present, poker is only permissible in licensed casinos.
In January, however, the country’s Ministry of Finance said there would be no further expansion of gambling options in the country. But Gowin said online poker and sports betting are less harmful than “hard gambling” products like slots and “casino games.”
He also proposed new government powers to combat international operators who take bets from Polish players without a license including domain-blocking and payment-blocking by financial institutions.
Gowin said that Polish gambling laws are “extremely restrictive” gambling laws and forced 95 percent of the country’s online gamblers to use ‘grey’ operators. Gowin believes it’s time for “normality and common sense” to prevail and for the government to collect the “hundreds of millions” it was foregoing annually in lost tax revenue, according to a report at CalvinAyre.com.
