Poland has a well-developed market, and is ranked as a \"middle power\". When it comes to the economy, Poland has the sixth-largest in the EU by nominal GDP, and they are the fifth-largest by GDP. The standards of living, safety, and economic freedom, together with the university education and the health care system are very high. Poland has 16 Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO, and 15 of those are cultural. As for the international organization, Poland is a member of the EU, Schengen Area, EEA, UN, NATO, OECD, and the Three Seas Initiative. Poland is a representative democracy, and the president is named as the head of state. The government structure involves a so-called Council of Ministers, which is led by the prime minister. The prime minister gives the recommendations for the cabinet to the president, who then appoints it. The president is elected by a popular vote every five years. ## Online Live Casinos in Poland The Gaming Act of 2010 was a game-changer in the online gambling sector in Poland, as gambling, in general, became a state-controlled operation. In the beginning, no official regulation or explanation was provided by the Gaming act, but the next version of it – the Gambling Act of 2011 prohibited all forms of live online casinos in Poland. Online sports betting was the only sector allowed with this Act. Without any licensed live casinos, most of the big and popular live casinos in Poland operate from overseas. This doesn’t mean that these sites are unreliable, most of the reputable live casinos in the world accept Polish players. As the market in Poland remains restrictive, foreign live casinos make up the bulk of the online gambling sector there. This doesn’t at all deter Polish players, they do enjoy gambling at these unlicensed sites, as there is no legal framework stopping them from doing so. The government tries to blacklist unlicensed live casinos, but they cannot blacklist them all, and they do not chase individuals trying to access the live casinos, they are more concerned about catching the big players, the companies themselves. For this reason, Polish gamblers have a good choice of hundreds of foreign live casinos to choose from, and although the Ministry of Finance comes up with a blacklist of gambling establishments, no Polish citizen has ever been punished for playing at a foreign live casino site. ## History of Gambling in Poland For the better part of the recent past, all types of gambling in Poland casinos were unregulated, which left casinos and other gambling companies with little oversight. This situation started to change in the 1990s when the new government took some interest in controlling the gambling sector. In 1992 new restrictions were put in place which allowed new casinos to be built only in cities with at least 250,000 people of population. Modest reforms were put in place in the years after that. However, a major change occurred in 2019 when the Gaming Act was enacted in Poland. Under this legislation, only casinos that have a license by the state are allowed to have gambling machines. Each region of the country faces restrictions when the casino resorts are in question, as they have a limitation of the number of operators that can gain a license. No more than 70 slot machines are allowed in each venue, and there are also restrictions to the number of tables allowed (for games like blackjack, poker rooms, and roulette), they are kept to the absolute minimum. The online gambling sector became a subject when the Gambling Act was introduced in Poland. Online gambling is prohibited by this regulation, but players still access foreign sites and play their favorite games, making this sort of a grey area. ## Gambling Nowadays in Poland Online gambling is very much attractive to Polish players, even though the Government has officially banned it. There are hundreds of foreign live casinos that offer their services to Polish gamblers, and the good news is that individuals do not get charged if they try their luck with a foreign live casino site. As for land-based gambling, there are around 50 casinos in Poland, and they are strictly limited by number. Only one casino can operate in a location of up to 250,000 citizens, and for cities that have a population greater than 250,000, the number of casinos increases by one per every 250,000 people. ## Future of Online Casinos in Poland Online casinos are forbidden with the Gaming Act in Poland, but the good news is that players can still gamble on foreign live and online casinos without really facing any penalties for it. The popularity of online casinos in Poland increases every day, as more and more people get access to a mobile phone, the internet, and so on. The pressure on the government to legalize this sector increases, and with help from the EU, there might be certain softening to the current legislation. The benefits that come from giving private entities license to offer online casino services are vast – increased taxes by the Government, employment of a good number of people in this sector, and this way the money generated go to Polish companies, rather than unlicensed foreign operators. This way, online gambling will become a massive contributor to the Polish economy. When it comes to the players, even though they don't face repercussions for gambling at foreign sites, the fear is still present, and more importantly, the possibility of them being subject to fraud by a fraudulent foreign site is big. Live casinos gain so much in popularity with each passing day in Poland, and if the regulation changes players can enjoy the huge variety of live dealer games on a licensed Polish live casino, and they can feel safe by playing those. ## Mobile Gaming in Poland Mobile gaming is sure to be the future of gambling in Poland, as soon as the Government loosens up the restrictions in place at the moment. The statistics show that around 52 million people have a mobile phone and the vast majority of them have access to internet services. This trend is likely to increase even more in the next 5 years. Live casinos across the globe have noticed this trend of the increased popularity of mobile gaming, so all the best sites offer an immense mobile app and gaming experience that comes with it. Polish gamblers will enjoy this experience, as most of the gaming sites are fully optimized for mobile gaming, and in the future, operators will make sure to improve even more their mobile apps and the customer experience with it. ## Are Online Casinos Legal in Poland? The gambling legislation in Poland has a long and eventful way. For a long time, there was no regulation on online and land-based gambling, as the only restrictions at the beginning were related to the types of games that can be offered in a certain gambling venue. In 2009 Poland passed quite restrictive legislation and another amendment to it in 2011. This legislation opposed online gambling, and all forms of it were prohibited, except for sports betting. So, no live casinos were allowed with this regulation. As for land-based casinos, the regulation was also tight, as casinos were restricted to the most populous cities in Poland, but only one gambling venue was allowed in each of Poland’s districts. There is also a limit on the maximum number of tables and machines in a casino. This legislation is not considered to be in line with the policy of the European Commission, and as Poland is a member state of the EU, they have tried to put pressure on the Government to liberalize the market and to allow private entities to offer live casino services. The legislation that covers gambling in Poland includes severe punishments for breaking the laws, but they are rarely enforced when it comes to individuals gambling on foreign live casinos, which has benefited the industry itself in Poland, as it grows in popularity with each passing day. To this day, no Polish citizen has been prosecuted for gambling at a foreign live casino, as the government is mainly concerned with blacklisting the illegal operators they catch operating in Poland, rather than individuals who bet on those sites. Having said that, any Pole who is new to online gambling can feel completely safe with placing wagers on any international brand that accepts Polish players. ## Polish Regulation Laws and Authorities The law and regulation applicable to all forms of gambling in Poland is the Gambling Act of 2009. The main responsibilities to govern the gambling sector in Poland are granted to the Minister of Finance of the country. Most forms of online gambling in Poland are either restricted or prohibited to state monopoly. The only exceptions here are betting and conducting certain promotional lotteries, which are allowed to be held online, but prior permission is required for each of them. Land-based casinos are only allowed in specific locations, as it is indicated in the relevant license that they get. Casinos are also limited in number. Only one casino can exist in a single location, a city or a village, that has up to 250,000 inhabitants. For each city with more than 250,000 citizens, the maximum number of casinos is increased by one every 250,000 people. At the moment, there are around 50 active, licensed casinos that operate in Poland. ## Polish Players Favorite Live Games When it comes to the popularity of live games among Polish gamblers, poker takes the number one spot as the most popular game, followed by blackjack. Honorable mentions here go to live baccarat and live roulette. * Live poker is widely regarded as one of the most skillful live casino games, despite evidently containing a significant amount of luck. * As for live roulette, there are different types of it across the biggest game providers. * In live blackjack, the players face a real dealer who they can see on a live video. The interaction between the players and the live dealer goes on with a live chat option. The dealer is a real human being, who interacts with the players and leads the game. Players can play from their mobile phone or from a desktop, wherever they may be. The wagers they place are done digitally too. ### Other Casino Games Polish players are spoiled when it comes to choosing their favorite online games, as the international casino sites offer the best games from the best providers. Online slots are very popular in Poland, just like everywhere else in the gambling world. Table games come in second place, with the most popular games being poker and blackjack. Poker is highly popular among the young population, who also make up the vast majority of the casino players in Poland. ## Top Software Providers When it comes to choosing a live casino, any player will choose the one that has all the games from the most reliable and reputable game providers in the market. They provide players with the best user experience, best graphics, and top-class gameplay. Polish players can enjoy the games from the best providers in the world, which include: * Evolution Gaming * Microgaming * NetEnt * Yggdrasil * Apollo Games * Ezugi * Authentic Gaming * Playtech Games ## Top Casino Bonuses in Poland The bonuses are also one of the most important factors in attracting new players and retaining existing ones. * Every player in Poland is eligible for some lucrative welcome bonuses, like 100% match to the sums of up to $1,000, plus some free spins, or no deposit bonuses. * The no deposit bonuses are another promotion used to attract new players, and these bonuses usually have the form of free credit, and they can be used on various games. Have in mind that these bonuses always have certain terms and conditions, so every gambler needs to make sure to check them before claiming the bonus. * Cashback bonuses are also present in live casinos that operate in Poland, and with this bonus, the player gets some percentage of the losses back, and afterward, the money can be used to wager again, or in some cases, withdraw. ### How to Claim These Bonuses Before claiming certain bonuses, Polish gamblers need to check carefully the terms and conditions attached to every one of them. Welcome bonuses usually have the most T&C, and only newly registered players are eligible for these bonuses. The welcome bonuses always have certain wagering requirements that need to be met by the player to claim them. The wagering requirements needed are not the same, as they vary from one operator to another. Cashback bonuses are also pretty simple to use, all the player needs to do is play a selected game in a certain period, and be eligible for the cashback bonus. These bonuses have a different minimum and maximum amount that can be withdrawn, depending on the live casino. ## Top Payment Methods in Poland As stated before, Polish players gamble at foreign live casinos, so every new gambler should always double-check the banking methods available and integrated into the site's platform. The best live casinos offer the best payment options and they include: * Visa * Mastercard * MultiTransfer * PayU * Kik & Pay * SecurionPay * EBANX * Wirecard * Skrill * Neteller * PayPal When searching for a new live casino, players from Poland need to make sure that all these payment methods are available, as it is a sign of the reliability of the site itself. It doesn’t make sense to wager on sites that do not have reliable payment methods. ### Other Payment Methods in Poland Some less popular banking options in Poland include e-checks and prepaid vouchers. The main reason for their unpopularity is the fact that they all have slow deposit and withdrawal procedures. Electronic checks, or commonly known as e-checks, can be extremely safe when making a deposit, but it could take three days for the deposit to be completed, and up to a month for the withdrawal process. Prepaid vouchers, such as Paysafecard allow players to deposit money easily, but similarly to the previously mentioned payment methods, the withdrawal process is a bit more complicated, as players won't be able to withdraw any money without entering their credit/debit card details.