Poland has a surprisingly big betting industry that, according to unofficial estimates, gathers hundreds of thousands of punters monthly. A typical online casino is able to attract so many players because it’s extremely versatile – hundreds of games are available 24/7 as well as all sorts of betting lines.
You can practically bet on any sport, including major athletics competitions. However, many fans of this sport are still unsure how this whole thing functions. Is betting on athletics legal? Who regulates the market? Our goal is to answer these – and a few more – questions in the forthcoming sections.
Is sports betting legal in Poland?
The first question is fundamental because you ought to know if you can really place sports-related bets. The simplest answer is: Yes, you certainly can do that. All it takes is to visit kasyna online – aka an online casino in Poland – pick your betting provider, register, and start placing wagers. There’s an entire list of reputable online casinos in the country based on an iGaming Comparator, a unique system of casino quality assessments, so you can quickly find a legit website.
This is possible thanks to the Gambling Act of Poland, a legislative framework that regulates the entire industry in this Central European country. Based on this document, online betting providers are allowed to work if they fulfill conditions related to the following:
- Data storage and archiving
- Website domain
- Data reconstruction and integrity
Most importantly, each entity must allow the National Revenue Administration to freely access their data. And it not just about being able to access data – the NRA must have the ability to search, filter through, and print information.
Betting-Related Taxes
The second most important aspect of the story has to do with taxation. How does Poland tax casino games and betting activities?
For one, they introduce the so-called tax on wagers (or turnover tax). In this case, punters must pay 12% of the overall stake (aka money wagered) for literally every single bet they place. This is the duty of a bookmaking provider: They ought to deduct this portion of the total amount before calculating your winnings – in case there are any. In a nutshell, the player is the one who pays this tax when placing the wager.
Secondly, there is this thing called tax on large wins. The term itself is pretty self-explanatory since you shall be taxed in the event of a big win. But what is a big win in Poland? In this country, every win higher than PLN 2,280 (or approximately $550) is taxable – you will need to pay an additional 10% tax on these major winnings. This tax is deducted from the payout by the operator itself before you get paid. All this is done based on the rules imposed by the National Revenue Administration.
Final Thoughts: Betting Is Legal, But Costly
As you can see, sports betting in Poland is perfectly safe and legal if you visit a legit bookmaking operator or online casino. On the other hand, the country is probably trying to discourage some players by introducing fairly strict taxation policies. From our perspective, this does not change the fact that betting on athletics is very exciting and potentially lucrative. What do you think about it?
