Blocking unlicensed sites

Volumetric text of the article

1) Legal basis and roles of participants

The Slovak online gambling market is governed by a modern framework law that allows private operators with a local license and at the same time prohibits activities without permission.

Key roles:

Úrad pre reguláciu hazardných hier (ÚRHH) is an industry regulator that supervises, initiates cases, issues orders and forms a list of prohibited domains.
ISPs are required to implement blocking of domains/resources specified by the regulator.
Payment organizations and advertising platforms - at the request of the regulator must stop the maintenance of illegal sites (payment acceptance, promotion).

2) What is considered a violation

A resource is recognized as unlicensed and subject to blocking if it:

offers gambling to residents of Slovakia without a local license;
targets the Slovak audience (interface language, EUR currency, local payment methods, promotions "for players from Slovakia");
carries out marketing in the country (SEO/context/influencers focused on Slovakia);
ignores the requirements of the regulator to terminate activities.

3) Procedure: from monitoring to blocking

1. Monitoring and evidence gathering. The regulator monitors the market: complaints from players, own scans, information from payment and advertising partners.

2. Notice and prescription. The owner of the resource (or its representative) is sent a request to stop illegal activities/clarify the legal status.

3. Decision to list. If violations are not eliminated, the domain, mirrors and associated identifiers (sub-domains, sometimes IP/ASN) are included in the prohibited register.

4. Execution by providers. An order is sent to telecom operators to technically block domains (usually at the DNS level).

5. Control and updates. The register is replenished and updated: "mirrors" are added, domains that have voluntarily ceased operations are removed.

💡 In practice, there is a limited time between notification and actual blocking: providers are required to quickly implement filtering after receiving a prescription.

4) Technical interlock measures

DNS blocking of domain names is the main and least invasive method for providers.

HTTP (S) filtering can be applied pointwise (for example, by SNI/domain) if the DNS block is bypassed.

Working with "mirrors." The regulator tracks duplicate domains and adds them to the list without repeated full production, if the connection is obvious.

Associated measures. Requests to payment organizations and advertising networks: termination of service, removal of advertising, disabling tracking.

5) Liability and penalties

For operators of illegal sites: administrative fines, repeated sanctions, bans on activities, blocking promotion and payment channels.

For communication providers and advertising platforms: fines for non-fulfillment or late execution of orders.

For affiliates: responsibility for promoting unlicensed brands (including fines and the requirement to remove materials).

The size of the sanctions depends on the nature and consistency of the violation, the number of affected consumers and the volume of turnover.

6) Appeals and removal of lockdown

A domain copyright holder can:

file objections/appeals to the regulator's decision within the established time frame;
submit documents on obtaining a license or on elimination of violations;
request domain exclusion from the registry upon confirmed termination of illegal activities.
After satisfying the requirements, the regulator notifies communication providers about the removal of the lock.

7) Practical recommendations to operators

Licensing and localization. Before launching in Slovakia, apply for a local license, localize T&C, KYC/AML procedures and support in Slovak.

Legal trace. Write domain addresses in license/applications. Agree on any new domains/mirrors in advance.

Compliance circuit. Connect control of RG tools (self-exclusion, limits, age verification), keep logs, store reports.

Marketing. Check creatives and affiliates: prohibition of targeting minors, clear disclaimers, absence of "aggressive" CTAs.

Payments. Use providers that meet local requirements (including anti-fraud, returns, reporting to the regulator).

Response. When receiving an order, act quickly: freezing traffic, answering the regulator, correcting violations, evidence base.

8) Memo to player

Use only licensed sites (check for permission and official details).

Remember: legal operators have protection tools (limits, self-exclusion, verification, assistance in controversial situations).

If you see an advertisement for a suspicious brand, it is better to inform the regulator - this helps to "clean" the market from gray areas.

Slovakia combines an open licensed online market and tight control over illegal resources. Blocking is carried out quickly and systematically: from legal qualifications and notification - to the inclusion of domains in the registry and technical restriction of access. For bona fide operators, this creates a predictable competitive environment, for players, it increases security, and for the state, it ensures transparency and collection of payments.