I’m personally not a big fan of gambling (hazard), but few of our readers asked how gambling looks like in Poland. It is legal (legalny). Online gambling is also legal, since the Act on Gambling Games, signed into law on June 30, 2011. However, online poker and online casinos are still illegal within the country.

The Polish Gambling Law is the one setting up the operating conditions for any activities in the games of chance field, slot machines and betting:

– games of chance (gry losowe) can be number games, telebingo, raffle bingo, raffle lotteries, cash lotteries, promotion lotteries, cylindrical games etc; their prize can be cash or various objects and the game’s outcome depends a lot on chance and also on game rules;

– betting (zakłady) can be placed for cash or things and is determined by guessing, the prize depending on the total stakes paid;

– the games on slot machines (gry na automatach) are games of chance played with electronic/mechanical devices and the prizes are either cash or things.

Kupony Dużego Lotka i Multi Lotka oraz blankiet Multi Lotka. Image credit wikipedia

The Lotto is the most popular game of chance in Poland. If your 6 numbers out of 9 come up in the Duży Lotek the minimal guaranteed prize money is one million złotys. If no one wins in a draw, half of the money goes to the next draw, it’s called the Accumulator. A record win of 20.119.858 złoty and 20 grosze happened in June 2004.
In the Lotto booths around the town you can also buy lottery tickets to win money (up to 1 million złotys) or goods (from refrigerators to cars).

Betting at a bookmaker is becoming the more popular form of trying your luck. You can bet on the score of a hokey match in Finland, a tennis tournament in France or auto racing in Częstochowa. You can win up to 10 000 złotys on one bet; there is a ten percent tax on your winnings.

Horse racing (wyścigi konne) has a long tradition in Poland. Unfortunately the legal situation of the three national race-courses: Slużewiec in Warsaw, Hippodrome in Sopot and Partynice in Wrocław has not been regularized; fans of horse racing can only watch them, which can also be as exciting as betting. And I think this would be the only type  of gambling I would enjoy! And lottery ticket once in a while can be interesting as well;)