Polish licensed betting turnover grows to PLN6.7bn in 2019

Regulated bookmakers in Poland generated combined turnover of PLN6.7bn (£1.36bn/€1.58bn/$1.76bn) in 2019, a 28.8% year-on-year increase but less than the unlicensed market, according to figures from legal association Graj Legalnie.

The state took in PLN800m through gambling taxes from licensed operators, of which STS was the largest, making up 45.5% of the market. Fortuna was the second most popular regulated betting operator in Poland, with a 31.3% market share, while ForBet was in third with a market share of 6.1%.

However, Graj Legalnie also pointed out that increased activity from unlicensed operators has meant that they grey market now makes up almost 60% of the overall Polish gaming market. The association noted that, had all of this turnover been taxed, the Polish government would have made an additional PLN1.1bn in tax.

Graj Legalnie found that in November 2019, three unlicensed foreign operators had a combined 2.1m hits from Poland, despite the fact that their websites are listed in a blocking register kept by the Polish Ministry of Finance. The association also said that it reported 1830 illegal gambling websites to this register, of which 1303 have not yet been included.

In addition, it provided a list of suggestions to limit unlicensed online gambling in Poland.  The association recommended the creation of a dedicated regulator with a precisely defined list of tasks, modelled on the UK's Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority, to provide oversight to the sector.

In addition, Graj Legalnie called for telecommunications services to comply with blocking requests issued for unlicensed gambling websites to ensure enforcement efforts were more effective. The association also called for changes to Poland’s gambling tax structure, in which operators currently pay 12% of turnover.