Two of the leading international gambling operators are to become the latest gambling companies that are to exit the newly-regulated online betting market in Poland.
William Hill and bet365, two of the most powerful and successful online casino, gaming and betting operators on a global scale, revealed they are to withdraw their operations from the country, following a number of other companies that have made the decision to leave its jurisdiction due to tax legislation that is considered as unfavourable to off-shore companies.
Global betting operators have started to close its operations in Poland after arguing that the 12% tax imposed on the turnover generated by the online gambling companies was not acceptable, saying it was “unworkable” for the operators on the territory of the country. According to the companies, the government of Poland was aiming to create more favourable conditions for Totalizator Sportowy, which is a state-owned entity, so it started making the market conditions less bearable for other companies.
Earlier this week, the Polish-founded online betting company EnergyBets revealed that it is to withdraw its local operations, saying that the regulatory environment in the country has become extremely restrictive and hostile to international gambling operators.
William Hill
As revealed by William Hill, the bookmaker is to shut down its services in Poland on April 1st, so none of its services will be available to local customers from this day forward. The confirmation that the gambling and betting operator is to withdraw all its services from the Polish market came in a letter to customers and media partners sent by the company itself. As a result, all marketing partners of the operator have been asked to put an end to all campaigns.
The UK bookmaker explained that its decision was provoked by the most recent regulatory changes in Poland. Over the last week, the country has faced a number of casino, gambling and betting companies that decided to withdraw their operators after Poland refused to make some changes in the 12% online gambling turnover tax. The latter was passed by the country’s legislative chamber in December 2016 and is expected to be officially incorporated into Poland’s legislation in April 2017.
The announcement of the withdrawal comes only a few weeks after William Hill revealed its annual financial results, saying it had faced a challenging year.
bet365
bet365 is the other leading global gaming operator that is to leave Poland due to the upcoming regulatory changes mentioned above. The company revealed its firm intentions to no longer provide its services on the territory of the country and officially announced it is to cease its operations there from March 30th.
Since this date, the products of bet365 will become unavailable in Poland. All players accounts registered in the country will be suspended and players will be contacted separately in order to be informed about the company’s decision and the steps that are to be taken by the operator in terms of the Polish market exit.
- Author
Daniel Williams
