Poland to monopolise gambling machines

The European country wants to stop the losses related to illegal gambling.

Poland.- Poland is set to monopolise part of its gambling market after the government announced the measure in order to fight against illegal gambling machines. The latest numbers show that the clandestine activity is worth approximately US$150.000.

According to The Warsaw Voice, the state defense group PGZ will be responsible for producing the gambling machines, and Totalizator Sportowy, a state-run games of chance firm, will have the monopoly on obtaining proceeds from them. These measures are part of the new anti-gambling bill that comes into effect in April. Back in December 2016 the Lower House of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) passed a law that is set to reduce illegal activities in the country, besides increasing the money that the government gets from legal gambling.

According to the Association of Employers and Employees of Bookmakers, the Treasury suffers big losses that reach US$1.4 billion every year in potential tax revenue because of the illegal activities. They said that up until they decided to come up with the bill, there had been extremely unfavorable conditions for bookmakers who are honestly doing business. “As a result, about 90 percent of the online market is one of the entities operating in Poland that do not respect national law and do not pay taxes. They represent unfair competition for companies operating legally who pay taxes and employ thousands,” said the Sejm.

Totalizator is set to spend approximately US$235 million on new purchases over a period of four years. The government also announced that PGZ will provide the firm with 35.000 machines for them to be able to build a network all across Poland.