Poland grants sports betting licence

Cherry is now the ninth licensed operator in Poland, a market that is not ideal due to its tax conditions.

Poland.- Cherry Online Polska, a subsidiary from Cherry AB, has obtained a sports betting licence from Poland’s Ministry of Finance. The company is now the ninth licensed operator in the Polish market.

With the new permit to operate in the country, Cherry has also become the second company to receive a licence under the new gambling regulations. Patryk Włodarski, business consultant and responsible for the application, said: “We are proud to be one of the first companies that were granted the licence. Poland is a fully regulated market and since the 2017 amendment to the gambling bill, it became our priority to obtain a licence, allowing us to offer our services online in full respect to the current laws.

“Now with a company in Warsaw holding a licence, Cherry is in position to introduce its first online sportsbook brand to the Polish customers very soon.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Employers of the Republic of Poland (Pracodawcy RP), accused the Ministry of Finance of complicating the process to register with Polish-licensed online sports betting operators. 

The trade association believes that the Ministry of Finance is making it difficult for the bookmaking market to develop, and stopping local operators from competing with internationally-licensed gambling sites.

The group believes that the Ministry is slowing the process to allow locally-licensed online bookmakers to offer simplified account registration for new players. The process establishes that customers could fill in few data points, make a deposit and place a wager, while full registrations would be completed within 30 days and withdrawals would not be possible until full registration was reached.