Leading Features of Legal Gambling: Expert Opinions from Milan Rabszski

Online gambling is quickly becoming everyone’s favorite pastime. But how do experts around the world feel about their nation’s regulations? In this article, we get an insight into how countries deal with gambling. Milan Rabszski and his new project, “Legal or illegal - that is the question,” give us a closer look at the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, and Turkey to find what works and what doesn’t in this industry.

UK

The United Kingdom takes a very different and mature approach to gambling than other countries. The United Kingdom does not have many laws against online gambling. Instead, it focuses on making and keeping gambling safe. The goal of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission is to make sure that gambling in Britain is safe and fair.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is in charge of policing the industry in the UK. It helps to have a main local body in charge of regulating safety measures for gamblers. From issuing licenses to the businesses that make gaming possible to enforcing strict regulations on those businesses, it’s all done in-house in the UK.

Neil Patel, the British expert on the panel, says you’d only be breaking the law if you did one of the following:


Poland

Poland is very strict when it comes to gambling. As long as it’s in a licensed and locally registered casino, it is considered legal. Otherwise, the players are playing in a licensed casino, sure, but it isn’t legal. The Polish government has specified the parameters for internet gaming in its Gambling Law of November 19, 2009. This law puts in place strict rules that are very different from the way gambling is treated in the rest of the European Union.

Members of the gaming industry attempted to persuade lawmakers to make changes to the law that would benefit the industry. The government intended to send a message that they could not be bought by the gambling lobby; hence the new law is stringent.

In line with the new rules, they keep a list of websites that don’t have licenses. This list is similar to a blacklist, and the Minister of Finance’s office is in charge of it. When looking for unauthorized sites that advertise in Poland, they narrow in on those that are available in Polish.

The punishment for noncompliance is rather severe. However, Milan Rabszski, the Polish expert, says that people still find a way.

Holland

Since 1964, gambling has been legal in the Netherlands, and its dependencies, meaning St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao. It’s ironic that the Netherlands is often thought of as a liberal utopia, given that its gaming industry is among the most conservative in all of Europe. Even though people have worked hard over the past few years to make things better, some problems still exist.

The Betting and Gaming Act of 1964 (Wet op de kansspelen 1964, or “Wok”) and its many changes are the most important pieces of gambling law. However, online or digital gambling was not explicitly mentioned in the original statute.

People have thought for a long time that there aren’t any rules about online gambling. But it turned out that the Dutch government viewed online gambling as unlawful, except for state-owned monopolies, even though there were no other options in their home country and no other EU companies were allowed to get a gaming license in the Netherlands.

But in 2021, the Dutch government created a new licensing structure for internet gambling, which brought the Netherlands’ gaming sector into line with EU regulations. The Remote Gambling Act (Wet Kansspelen op afstand, Koa3) makes it legal to gamble online starting in 2021.

Ollivie Van Der Sar, the expert from the Netherlands, says the best course of action has been taken to prevent people from gambling on sites that aren’t authorized. The Dutch government blocks access to any offshore gambling sites that don’t have a valid license.

Turkey

Any activity that fits under the category of “gambling” in the Turkish Criminal Code is illegal in Turkey. There is no independent definition of internet gambling beyond the umbrella notion of gambling. Online or offline, gambling is not allowed under any circumstances.

However, enthusiasts will always find a way. Expert Yunus Çetin feels that the mirror sites have been a major source of gambling in the country. Since the government doesn’t take them down often, people enjoy casino services without having to use a VPN.

But how long will that last? He asks. He further adds, “We’re moving into 2023, as religious as we are meant to be, we are also given free will by the almighty, the government could do the same and regulate our actions if they wish.”

Wrapping Up

The experts agree that many countries view gambling as an offensive activity. But does it still have to be that way? With cybersecurity taking strides in all directions, if the authorities invested a little in safeguarding their citizens, there wouldn’t be a need for a ban. Because, let’s face it, a ban, or even severe punishment, isn’t accomplishing its intended purpose!

Milan Rabszski leads many such projects for TopKasynoOnline as their editor-in-chief. A Poles for Poles project that spreads awareness about the gambling and legalne casino scene in Poland. Their office is located at Złota 59, 00-120 Warsaw. Or call them at: +48 225951400. You can also listen to Milan’s podcast at topkasynoonline.buzzsprout.com/, where he talks in detail and provides information like popular payment methods in Poland being Blik, Przelewy24, Paysafecard, Bitcoin, and Ecopayz.

Note: As of October 2022, unfortunately, gambling is illegal in Poland, so the content in this article is used only for informational purposes and is available to users outside of Poland.