The History of Gambling in Poland
Gambling has been a favorite past time for generations and is still popular today. The majority of nations have a history of gambling in some form or another, be it sports betting, card games, bingo, or anything else. Despite numerous legislative and regulatory changes over the years, gaming is a particularly popular activity in Poland.
Although gambling is widely accepted in Poland, where it has been a full member iplt20 today of the EU since 2004, various forms of gambling remain severely restricted. However, Polish players can read a kasyno online opinie to choose a good website. Online gambling is still allowed.
To provide you with further information on this fascinating subject, our specialist on all things related to gambling in Poland, Jacek Michałski, wrote this article.
The Original Casinos
The first casino in Poland opened its doors in the city of Sopot in 1920. With a lot of visitors from all around the nation and the surrounding territories, this beach resort city seemed ideal for a casino. The casino, which featured games including blackjack and roulette, was only open to those who were older than eighteen.
The casino was transformed into a whole resort including a hotel for lodging when tourism grew. When the building reopened as the Casino Hotel in 1927, this was finished. The resort’s popularity peaked in the early 1930s, and it soon emerged as the city’s primary source of income.
Around Poland, a number of more casinos were constructed during this period, but sadly, war came out shortly after. The popularity of casinos was undoubtedly greatly impacted by the Second World War, as travel and disposable income were drastically decreased.
Many casinos were destroyed by Red Army artillery during the war, but fortunately, the Casino Hotel Betinexchange in Sopot survived because it was used as a field hospital. Once the war ended in 1946, it was renamed the Grand Hotel, and one of the biggest casino operators in Poland, Orbis Casino Group, eventually purchased it.
The USSR and Slot Machines
With the Second World War coming to a conclusion in 1946, the Soviet Union seized control of most of eastern Europe. This included Poland, and the majority of casinos closed as a result of the soviet Union’s severe gambling regulations. On its territory, the USSR outlawed gambling of any kind, including sports betting and casinos.
The Polish shipping business Polferries discovered a way around the prohibition. The corporation started providing a variety of gambling games on their ferries headed towards Scandinavia, such as roulette, blackjack, and even slot machines. By doing this, they managed to circumvent the prohibition and, as a result, these ferries gained a lot of popularity among travelers. The USSR was starting to fall apart in 1989, when the gambling prohibition was lifted.
Polish Lotteries Following the USSR
In 1998, the Soviet Union lifted its gambling prohibition, thereby permitting the establishment of casinos across the USSR. Soon after the prohibition was removed, Poland saw the opening of its first land-based casino since World War 2.
Casino Poland opened Pod Roza in Krakow, which quickly signaled the beginning of a new age in Polish gaming. It didn’t take long for several new casinos and gambling establishments to come up following the lifting of the ban, piqueing the interest of Polish people in casino games more than previously.
Due to a lack of rules regarding casino operations, Poland’s gambling industry peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the Polish government began creating and enforcing new casino rules in 1992.
The rules at the time only stipulated that a casino may only operate one in cities with less than 250,000 residents and that it would need to seek for a license. Since then, there have been significant changes to the legislation, particularly with the arrival of Polish internet casinos.
Polish Internet Gambling
The Ministry of Finance currently oversees all forms of gambling in Poland, including Poland’s internet casinos. 2009 saw a revision to the gambling regulations that significantly increased the difficulty for Polish gamers to access the internet, play casino games, or place sports bets. The state controls the majority of gambling.
Despite being prohibited from opening casino sites in their own nation, Polish players can still be found playing at many foreign casinos.
Although the history of online gambling in Poland is still being written, it is unclear whether the Polish government would consider loosening its regulations regarding the industry. Players must settle with offshore sites for the time being, but they still have a ton of fantastic options.