Poland to Ease Betting Laws

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin (l.) says the country is working to relax its laws related to sports betting and online poker. The change will help the government reclaim revenues forfeited under a previous regime.

European Commission gave the nod

Jaroslaw Gowin, deputy prime minister of Poland, says more liberal gaming laws in the country will help money “flow back into the budget.”

Gowin says Poland “suffered enormous, multibillion losses” as a result the 2009 Gambling Act under previous Prime Minister Donald Tusk; that legislation banned all gambling outside casinos on land and online.

“That is why a few months ago we decided to change the law,” Gowin said, and added that the European Commission has approved the change.

According to the latest draft, slot machines would be nationalized and operate under the national lottery. Until that time, Gowin said, “Poles will continue to lose PLN 100-300 million (US$23.5 million to $70.5 million) a month.”

He said the new system will make it “safe to use bookmaker services and play poker online.”

**GGBNews.com is part of the Clarion Events Group of companies (Clarion). We take your privacy seriously. By registering for this newsletter we wish to use your information on the basis of our legitimate interests to keep in contact with you about other relevant events, products and services which may be of interest to you. We will only ever use the information we collect or receive about you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You may manage your preferences or unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails.