Like many other countries across the world, Poland is experiencing a major increase in gambling activity, not only through the number of players but also the volume of companies entering the market.
Following changes to the nation's Gambling Act in 2017, the industry saw a rapid growth, despite the Polish gaming legislation still being one of the most restrictive in Europe.
The astronomical growth is clearly represented by figures, which show that the industry generated an estimated revenue of €0.11bn in 2015, only to be worth €1.82bn in 2018 and a whopping €5bn in 2020.
Given that revenue last year, Poland now ranks as the most lucrative gambling market in Eastern Europe, compared to figures of 350m in Croatia and 600m in Russia, and certainly has the potential to become one of the most relevant in the world in years to come.
Polish players can participate in forms of gambling that are licensed and regulated by the latest Act on Gambling Games (November 2019), including anything from slot machines, low-stake machines, bingo, casino gambling, lottery games and sports betting.
Interestingly, online casino games are much more of a contentious subject in Poland, with Total Casino acting as the only legal Polish Casino, while other operators are able to offer their services based on having EU Gambling licenses.
The mentioned findings come from Aleksandra Maj, a gambling expert with many years of experience, and you can read more of her work here.
Trends in Polish gambling
Online gambing
With rapidly improving internet technology across the world, the gambling industry has adapted excellently to the changing demands of customers in a way that is unmatched by many other sectors, and this has been prevalent in Poland as it has globally.
With companies now forced to take to the online market to ensure they remain competitive, the nation has seen a boom in this sector, given the major advantage in convenience compared to the land-based counterparts.
Thanks to ever-increasing innovation, and the outbreak of COVID-19 forcing customers indoors with spare time, Poland is seeing a continued rise in the market share and usage of online gambling platforms - a trend that should only continue as internet technology develops further an example can be found at casino online PL.
5G Technology
A prime example of the framework to allow online gambling to develop is the recent rollout of 5G technology across many regions of the world, and Poland has benefitted more than many other nations.
With vast areas of the country previously suffering from particularly low internet speeds, the new developments have gone a long way to fix long running communication issue.
Allowing for faster downloads and uploads and lower pings, gaming experiences in Poland have vastly improved in the last year, giving a much higher quality gambling experience.
Such advancements allow firms to operate online on a far larger scale, and provide access for more punters than ever before.
Blockchain integration
Currently standing as one of the most popular casino trends in the country, Blockchain technology has had a huge impact on the landscape of the Polish gambling market in recent years.
Following on from the improvements in internet technology, cryptocurrency has become a far more viable option for many reasons, offering anonymity in transactions and vastly improved security.
This has, of course, tied in with online gambling, with crypto casinos now developing as a sector, allowing customers to use Blockchain transactions like never before, further making markets more accessible for the population.
Gamers can now use more secure transactions that are safe from the threat of hacking, while the low overhead costs of running these operations allow firms to offer better bonuses, further drumming up interest in their games and increasing the customer base.
Protection
As previously mentioned, Poland is home to some of the strictest gambling legislation in Europe, and, while this has its downsides for firms and users, it also has the effect of more securely regulating a potentially dangerous market.
With countless stories of cybercrime and fraud in gambling, the tight restrictions in Poland allow far less room for customers' capital to be put at major risk, with the tighter control on online casinos particularly crucial in ensuring that the nation remains one of the most secure in this sense.
Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be +18. For help visit gamcare.org.uk, or use one of the following services in Poland: Anonimowi Hazardzisci, Telefon Zaufania, Swiatelko, WOTUW.
