Slot Machines in Poland: The State Monopoly Outside Casinos Explained

For years, Poland had a thriving and largely unregulated market of slot-machine arcades. That ended with the 2017 reform, which placed slot machines outside casinos under the state monopoly. Today the picture is clear in law, even if illegal machines still surface in enforcement statistics. Here is what operators and suppliers need to know.

The monopoly on slot machines

Under the amended Gambling Act, operating slot machines in gaming arcades outside casinos is reserved for the state monopoly, exercised by Totalizator Sportowy. The state operator runs a network of licensed gaming arcades with machines connected to a central monitoring system. Private entities cannot obtain a permit for a slot-machine arcade, and the previous category of low-prize machines in bars and petrol stations was abolished.

Where private operators can still offer slots

Slot machines remain permitted in licensed casinos, which private companies can operate under a concession granted by the Minister of Finance. Casino concessions are limited in number by population thresholds, awarded through a competitive procedure and carry significant obligations, but they are the only lawful route for private slot operation in Poland. Online slots are covered by the online casino monopoly and are also closed to private operators.

What counts as a slot machine

The definition is broad: any device, including computer-based ones, offering games with cash or in-kind prizes where the game contains an element of chance, and also games organised for commercial purposes without prizes if the outcome depends on chance. This catches many so-called skill machines, quiz machines and simulators that operators have tried to position outside the Act. The tax authority can request a binding decision on whether a given game is a game of chance, and operators often underestimate how expansively that test is applied.

Enforcement

The customs and tax administration conducts regular inspections and seizes illegal machines. Penalties include a fine per machine imposed on the operator and, separately, on the owner of the premises where the machine is located, along with fiscal-penal liability for individuals. The scale of fines has made the illegal arcade model economically unviable for most, though enforcement actions continue.

Implications for suppliers

Manufacturers and distributors of gaming machines can lawfully supply casinos and the state operator, and must comply with technical certification requirements. Supplying machines for illegal arcades exposes suppliers to liability and to seizure of their equipment.

For advice on casino concessions, machine classification or a dispute with the authorities, contact our disputes and enforcement team.