Regulator: Polish Ministry of Finance
In Poland, the Ministry of Finance acts as the central regulator of gambling. It sets the rules, issues permits/licenses, maintains registers, coordinates supervision with the National Tax and Customs Administration (KAS) and is responsible for ensuring that the market remains legal, transparent and socially responsible. Below is exactly how this works, what obligations the operators have and what the player can count on.
1) Mandate and area of responsibility of the regulator
Policies and norms. Development and updating of by-laws within the framework of the Gambling Act; definition of permissible verticals and basic rules.
Licensing/permissions. Consideration of applications and issuance of documents for offline and online activity (in the amount permitted by law).
Supervision and control. Audit of operators, checks of infrastructure and payment processes, response to violations.
Online tools. Maintaining a registry of domains offering unlicensed games and coordinating payment restrictions for such sites.
Responsible play (RG). Requirements for limits, self-exclusion, visible warnings and honest advertising.
Interagency coordination. Collaboration with KAS (operational control and checks), law enforcement agencies and payment providers.
2) How licensing occurs
Stages:1. Prequalification. Confirmation of capital, origin of funds, ownership structure and impeccable reputation.
2. Technical package. Certification of software/RNG or sports feeds, information security architecture, log storage, KYC/AML processes.
3. Operational readiness. Localization of settlements, agreements with payment organizations, RG and marketing policies.
4. Regulator decision. Issuance of a license/permit or a reasoned refusal with the right to appeal.
What matters to the applicant: transparent ownership structure, provable sources of financing, readiness for audits and digital reporting.
3) Online supervision: from domain locks to payment filters
Registry of domains with violations. It includes sites offering games without a Polish license; communication providers restrict access.
Payment restrictions. Payment organizations stop servicing transfers in favor of domains from the registry.
Infrastructure requirements. Storage of data and logs according to national standards; readiness to provide unloading at the request of the regulator.
Antifraud and multi-accounts. Operators are required to have mechanisms for detection and suppression of abuse.
4) Advertising, promo and affiliates under the control of the Ministry of Finance
Who can advertise. Only licensed brands - and only those products for which there is permission.
As you can. Neutral tone without promises of easy earnings; explicit 18 + marking and Responsible Play block; prohibition of targeting minors.
Where and when. Additional restrictions for TV/radio/UN and sports broadcasts; online - age filters and moderation of creatives.
Affiliates. Joint liability of the operator for creatives and traffic of partners; in case of violations, the sanctions also apply to the brand.
5) KYC/AML and RG: mandatory practices
Identification before deposit/withdrawal. Verification of age (18 +), identity and compliance of the means of payment with the account holder.
Transaction monitoring. Control of sources of funds, identification of suspicious transactions, AML reporting.
RG instruments. Deposit/bet/time limits, timeouts, self-exclusion, visible warnings, and access to game history.
Product transparency. Clear settlement rules, payment terms, bonus conditions (vager, market contribution, rate limits).
6) Роль KAS (Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa)
Field control. Together with the Ministry of Finance, it checks points, seizes illegal machines, and documents violations.
Analytics and suppression. Investigations of tax evasion schemes, monitoring of payment chains, interaction with banks and providers.
Execution of decisions. Implementation of locks and restrictions, imposition of fines, initiation of administrative/criminal procedures.
7) Sanctions and measures of influence
Administrative: fines, suspension/revocation of the license, inclusion of domains in the blocking register.
Financial: deductions, penalties, termination of service of payments to unlicensed sites.
Enforcement: cases on the facts of organizing illegal games, advertising violations and AML.
8) What it means for operators: compliance checklist
1. License and corporate transparency. Beneficiary documents, capital, no conflicts of interest.
2. Technical certification and information security. Certificates for RNG/feeds, encryption, access control, backups and recovery plan.
3. KYC/AML loop. Liveness check, sanctions/PEP screenings, event monitoring and reporting.
4. RG-default. Limits/timeout/one-click self-exclusion; reports to the player about time and net result.
5. Marketing and affiliates. Pre-moderation of creatives, age filters, prohibition of "euphoric" messages, SLA to remove violations from partners.
6. Payments. Contracts with authorized providers, clear commissions/courses before confirmation, return mechanisms according to the rules.
7. Reporting. Logs of logs, uploads on request, payment of taxes and fees on time.
9) What it means for players: Rights and expectations
Security. Licensees are required to make payments, protect data, and maintain a complete transaction log.
Control. The ability to set limits, enable timeout or self-exclusion; access to betting and finance history.
Transparency. Clear T&C bonuses, clear settlement rules and withdrawal deadlines.
10) Vector of supervision development
Further digitalization. More automated reporting and risk analytics.
RG priority. Enhance default "soft ceilings" and personalized alerts.
Fighting the "gray" sector. Improving the register of locks, payment filters and international data exchange.
The Ministry of Finance of Poland is the center of gravity of the regulatory gambling system: from licenses and standards to online blocking and advertising control. For operators, this means a high entry threshold and a constant compliance rhythm; for players - greater protection and transparency; for the state - market manageability and sustainable revenues while minimizing social risks.