These sites have not sought a license as required by the country’s new online gambling regulations that went into effect April 1. Under these rules, the ministry is ordering Polish ISPs to block access to domains operating without a license, beginning July 1.
ISPs will be required to comply within 48 hours of a domain’s inclusion on the blacklist, or face a fine of up to 250,000 zloty (USD 64,500) per incident.
Poland recently liberalized its online gambling laws, but did so with a controversial “turnover tax” that most operators say is unworkable.
This tax, more than the threat of being blacklisted, has led companies such as Betfair, William Hill, Bet365, and Pinnacle Sports to stop serving Polish customers.
““The contentious issue is a 12 percent tax on gross gaming revenue, which is a tax on all monies wagered. More typically in other jurisdictions, gambling companies are taxed on net wins, which allows sports books and casinos to pay tax on revenues left over after paying out winners.
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The stated aim of the legislation was to bring laws in line with EU regulations and to reduce the country’s citizens’ exposure to the unlicensed market. But as the Remote Gambling Association pointed out shortly after the bill’s enactment, with the current taxation structure the law will have the opposite effect.
“The current turnover system will continue to prevent licensed operators from providing the required level of value and choice to Polish consumers,” said the Remote Gambling Association.