Czech Gambling Law
The Czech Republic is to introduce a series of consumer protection laws to its revamped gambling regulations. Issued by the Czech Ministry of Finance earlier this week, the guidelines require operators to set maximum limits for players on an hourly basis. The Prague Posts reported that the Czech government approved new gambling laws including tax hikes that go as high as 35%. “The government today adopted important instruments for more consistent regulation of gambling in our country. This is yet another important fulfilled pledge from the.
Gambling law differs from country to country in Europe but the good news is that gambling is legal in the Czech Republic.
On this page you’ll find details of all the laws and legislation which affects betting and online betting in the country and you’ll also find a list of licenced and legal Czech Republic betting sites you can open an account with.
Best Czech Betting Sites: Top 3
The following is a list of the best betting sites for residents of the Czech Republic:
*All sites are foreign betting sites based outside the Czech Republic where Czech nationals are accepted. Why? Because the odds and bonuses are better!
Key Facts: Online Gambling In Czech Republic
- Gambling is both legal and incredibly popular in the Czech Republic.
- Legislation is confusing but mainly irrelevant to punters.
- Many grey-area operators to become licenced in 2017.
- Tax rates high for operators.
- No tax due on winnings from players.
Gambling Legislation & Law: Legal or Illegal?
The Czech Republic was established as an independent nation state in 1993 but its gambling industry was initially regulated by legislation set down three years earlier. The following brief timeline traces the history of the industry from that point onwards:
Czech Republic Gambling Law
1990 – Law on Lotteries
Czech Online Gambling Law
Initially all gambling in the Czech Republic was initially codified and regulated by one piece of legislation. That legislation was a law on lotteries and other related games, which remained the main source of regulation for all gambling for more than two decades.
2012 – New Lottery Act
The 1990 legislation was finally updated in the form of a new Lottery Act in 2012. Whilst more modern legislation was undoubtedly required, however, this act in many ways caused far more harm than good. It dictated that for online gambling operators to be legal in the Czech Republic, they had to have a physical presence in the state and purely Czech ownership. By 2012, though, the Czech Republic was a part of the European Union and that body found the act to be in contravention of EU policies.
2012-16 – Attempted Changes and Continued Delays
Ever since the Czech authorities had to abandon major elements of the 2012 Lottery Act, there have been attempts to get new legislation passed but these attempts have been continually delayed. One such example came in 2014 when new proposals were announced with the major aim of raising taxes from online gambling. Those proposals would have included a very high 40% tax rate for operators and this unsurprisingly led to much consternation.
2016 – New Proposals Signed into Law
In June 2016 new gambling legislation was finally signed into law by the Czech Ministry of Finance. These laws come into action at the beginning of 2017 and will introduce a wholly new online gambling regime within the country and see far more licences granted. As a part of the new legislation, rates of taxation on online gambling have been established and these are explained below.
Tax On Winnings?
As we have talked about above, the situation when it comes to the taxation of the gambling industry in the Czech Republic is undergoing a major shakeup. New legislation is finally being passed to update old and inefficient measures which have caused no end of controversy.
The new legislation has set down tax rates of 35% on gross gaming revenue for online casino games using random number generators and 23% on gross gaming revenue of sports betting and lotteries. Fortunately for punters, however, this taxation refers solely to operators and providers and individual customer’s winnings will continue to be tax free.
Czech Gambling Laws
Deposit Methods: What Works?
With a fully legal and soon to be more ably regulated online gambling industry in the country, Czech punters have a wide array of different deposit methods readily available to them.
In general, depositing via credit or debit card proves to be the most efficient method thanks to the speed at which transfers can be completed and the fact that the vast majority of people have access to at least one of these cards. Other methods such as e-wallets, meanwhile, can prove more popular with some punters as they allow them to deposit without providing their card details to the online gambling site they wish to use.