Gambling Laws in Czechia

Like many EU countries, Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic) has a very permissive stance on gambling. As a result, most activities are legal in the country. However, there is an interesting twist you should be aware of.

Which Gambling Activities Are Legal in Czechia?

Two main laws outline Czechia's regulations. The 1990 Law on Lotteries and Other Like Games, made most forms of offline gambling legal. Whilst the 2016 Gambling Act legalised all online gambling activites.

What makes this country stand out more than others in the EU is the fact that locally licensed casinos have a raft of restrictions. Such as requiring players to verify their identity in person at approved locations and not offering bonuses and free spins.

Betting in Land-Based and Online Casinos

Land-based casino gaming is legal in Czechia and has been since 1990. All operators offering such services are required to hold a licence issued by the Ministry of Finance. Most venues are casinos that form part of a larger resort or complex and are usually located in the country's capital, Prague.

Online casino gaming has been legal since 2016, with operators again required to obtain a licence. However, residents must verify their identity in person. In addition, licensed online operators are not permitted to offer casino welcome bonuses or any other incentives.

Playing Poker With Real Money

Poker is legal but can only be found at licensed casinos, with no standalone halls operating in the country.

Online poker is also legal in Czechia. However, the licensing criteria are so prohibitive that very few residents play at these. Instead they prefer to play at offshore online gambling sites. Whilst this is illegal, no players to date have been prosecuted for doing so.

Betting on Bingo

Bingo has been legal since 1990, though it's not very popular. Some of the casinos occasionally run events to raise money for local charities. Online bingo gambling is also legal but no locally licensed websites currently offer the game.

Lottery Tickets, Scratchcards, Keno and Instant Win Games

Lottery games have been legal in Czechia since 1948 and are a popular pastime for all ages of residents. The country is one of only a few in Europe that allows multiple companies to offer lotto products, rather than running a monopoly by state-owned operator Sazka. Many local retailers sell lottery tickets, scratch cards, and keno game tickets. Residents can play online lottery games for real money either through existing licensed retailers' websites or foreign online lottery sites.

Social Gambling and Online Crypto Casinos

Free social casinos that allow you to play slots and other games with chips - are unregulated and not specifically mentioned in the current laws. Loot boxes and skins gambling are also currently unregulated.

Although Bitcoin is legal in Czechia, the country does not recognise the coin as a legal currency, and as such, no venues accept this as a means of payment. That leaves residents with only one option: accessing foreign online Bitcoin casinos to play games.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Czechia?

Yes, and five companies are licensed to operate within the country via various sportsbooks and betting shops. Horse race betting is also legal, with the existing sports betting licence covering the activity.

Online sports betting is legal. Once again, residents find the few online sites' conditions very restrictive and unattractive (i.e. in-person identity verification, no available bonuses).

Czechia Gambling Age Restrictions

The legal gambling age in the Czech Republic is 18.

Gambling Tax Regulations in Czechia

Licensed operators must pay a basic rate of 23%, which increases to 35% for operators that offer gambling machines or lotteries. Operators are also required to pay a corporate tax of 19%.

Players are charged tax on their winnings (minus their stake) as income at 15%. The same rate applies to raffle and lottery winnings exceeding 1 million Czech Koruna (about €42,000).

History of Gambling Laws in Czechia

The earliest record of any gambling regulation dates back to 1355 when Emperor Charles IV restricted this for money in the Maiestas Carolina (legal code). Licensing establishments offering lotteries and other forms of gambling in the country were mentioned as far back as the 18th century.

Between the first and second wars, slot machines were manufactured in abundance in what was then known as Czechoslovakia. During the communist period, only state-sanctioned lottery games and sports betting were allowed.

Casinos and gaming machines were legalised in 1990 with the Law on Lotteries and Other Like Games. A 2012 amendment made online lotteries and sports betting legal, too. In 2016, the Gambling Act legalised all forms of online gambling in the country.

Key Facts

• Casino gambling is legal, though offline and online operators must hold a licence. Various land-based casinos exist, but few locally licensed online casinos operate due to restrictive conditions.

• Bingo, lottery and poker betting are legal. Bingo and poker games are run by licensed casinos, while multiple operators can offer online and offline lottery games.

• Sports betting is legal. Residents can freely bet on a wide range of markets and horse racing via bookmaker shops or licensed online sportsbooks.