Sports Betting in Poland: Turnover Up by Half

As January rolls on, governments are starting to release the data on gambling, specifically sports betting, on the previous December, and the whole year’s data for 2018 as well. Business has been good for those in the bookie pay per head business. Generally, of course, the trend is upward. Poland is no different, with a handle increase of more than half, by 55% compared to the previous year.

As we go over the gambling industry news for 2018, let’s start with Poland. Data from the Ministry of Finance of Poland mentions the land-based as well as the online turnover is around $1.37 billion for the year 2018.

Sports Betting in Poland: The Numbers

The data still does not include the breakdown on the turnover, and it is not in their office’s website as well. But what the report does mention, is that the licensed bookies have a 48% share of the online betting market, which is slightly higher than 2017’s.

The increase is due to more participation, and can also be because the agency was issuing more licenses. 7 licenses, in particular. Currently, there are 14 licensed operators in the country, although not all are operational yet.

Poland’s gambling activity is profitable for the government, in terms of taxes and license fees generated. All turnovers by the industry has a 12% tax. Then, winnings also have a separate 10% tax. Despite the taxes, sports betting is still a highly lucrative business in the country. This does seem quite well, given the steep taxes and fees needed by operators to put up shop in Poland.

And with a highly regulated sports betting market, the limits set on operators may be a bit discouraging to players, especially since winnings are automatically taxed. This means that there are better wagering options and payouts to player who bet on offshore and international operators. Payments are secured through different payout options, which helps protect the players’ money.