Bwin applies for Polish sports betting licence

Bwin has applied for a Polish online sports betting licence, the first major operator to state its intention to enter the highly-taxed market since the country amended its regulatory framework, EGR Intel has learned.

From 1 April, foreign operators are able to enter the licensed market without the need to have a physical presence in the country, as was the case before the European Commission deemed the requirement to be in breach of EU law.

And with the regulatory tweak turning the country from grey to white, the likes of bet365, William Hill, Betfair and EnergyBet, among others, have in recent days pulled their products from the country.

Bwin told customers via a message on it Poland-facing website that it had also withdrawn from the territory, albeit temporarily, with it closing customer accounts while it goes through a licensing process.

“Bwin has applied for a licence under Poland’s new gambling legislation,” the message read.

“Our application is pending and we are in regular contact with the Polish authorities. In order to ensure compliance with the new law we have taken the decision to close all Polish customer accounts.

“However, Polish customers with account balances are still able to withdrawal their funds. We are confident that we will be granted a licence shortly.”

Speaking to EGR Intel, a spokesperson for parent company GVC Holdings confirmed a Polish licence application had been lodged but declined to comment any further.

Due to the now removed physical requirement and the continuing 12% turnover tax, the licensed market in Poland has been limited to a handful of players including STS, Fortuna and Totolotek.

Estimates place the regulated market at around 10%, with unlicensed operators making up the rest of the online betting revenues.

The new framework is expected to change that make-up significantly, backed up by a payments blocking measure, which due to come into force on 1 July.