Slovakias gaming oversight body revealed in a public statement that Slovak citizens wagered a staggering €214 billion (equal to £183 billion/$231 billion) in 2023.

Slovak gamblers claimed €204 billion in winnings during 2023, with the internet gambling market experiencing rapid growth.

Martin Bohosh, the head of the Slovak Gambling Regulatory Authority, stated that the contribution to the government rose by over €50 million annually, reaching over €301 million.

Online levies accounted for €93 million of the government’s contribution, while fixed-odds wagering contributed €80.48 million. Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar casinos contributed €61.9 million to the government.

The online market maintains its dominance, with 90% of Slovaks favoring online betting. However, for digital lotteries, online wagering only represents 14% of bets, as Slovaks still prefer purchasing lottery tickets at physical locations.

Slovakias tax rate on fixed-odds betting is 22% of online operators’ gross gaming revenue (GGR) and 6% of land-based companies’ turnover. Meanwhile, for casinos, the tax rate for online operators is again 22%. For land-based casinos, 27% of GGR goes to the government and 3% goes to the municipality where the casino is situated.

The regulatory body is actively working to combat illicit operators.

Bohosh recognized the ongoing difficulties Slovak authorities encounter in managing illicit online gambling enterprises. Nevertheless, he also emphasized that data indicates that efforts to combat illegal gambling are “productive,” particularly on electronic devices like quiz machines in pubs and other food and beverage establishments.

The struggle against illegal operators extends to the internet, with authorities actively seeking out black market operators, including loot boxes in computer games. Authorities have the power to penalize advertisements for illegal operators.

Bohosh outlined the dangers of certain cities attempting to prohibit gambling, stating that such restrictive measures could push players towards potentially harmful black markets.

“I hope this subject will be the focus of broader societal discussion, because if someone believes that by banning legal gambling in large urban areas, the gambling problem will be resolved, yes, legal gambling will be resolved, but the risk of illegal gambling will remain significant.”

The regulator conducted 2,511 examinations in the first quarter, a figure released in May 2023. This represents an increase of 201 examinations compared to the same period in 2022. The number of examinations surged by 90% compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Local restrictions are expected to diminish land-based casino contributions.
Despite land-based casinos contributing €61.9 million to the state budget in 2023, regulators anticipate this figure to decline by as much as 22% by 2025.

This circumstance arose due to limitations enforced by some regional authorities.

Regional authorities possess the power to control gambling activities within their areas of jurisdiction. These powers encompass prohibiting physical locations and other limitations, such as forbidding specific sites.

Bohosh also criticized Slovak towns and regional authorities for not giving sufficient attention to the nation’s gambling agenda.

Which gambling goods are obtainable in Slovakia?

Sporting wagers, horse racing wagers, poker, and gaming establishments are all regulated gambling goods in Slovakia. Lotteries and bingo are monopolized by the state-owned enterprise Tipos.

Slovakia’s gambling legislation went into effect on March 1, 2019. The legislation permits private operators outside of Slovakia to apply for sports betting and casino licenses, although sports betting licenses did not become effective until July 1, 2020.

In 2022, the country’s regulatory body published a list of websites operated by licensed Slovak operators.

Sign up for the iGaming newsletter.