Czech Republic

Target audience overview

The Czech Republic shows a high interest in gambling by the population, including online gambling.

It is not only online casinos that are popular. Participation in lotteries in the last 12 months was reported by 17.3 per cent. Most often respondents bet on odds at land-based bookmakers.

The highest prevalence of gambling was observed in the 25-34 age category. The lower the age, the lower the interest.

Key figures:

• 44-56% of the population over the age of 15 gambled in the past year;
• 16-25% of adults had gambled other than lotteries;
• 17-18% gambled online;
• 12% made online bets on odds.

Addiction prevalence was several times higher among men and young adults aged 15-34. Men are the main audience for gambling in the Czech Republic.

2.5% of adults are at risk of gambling addiction - that's about 140,000-250,000 people. 1.3% of the population, according to doctors' estimates, suffers from gambling addiction - this is about 113,000 people.

The prevalence of gambling declined slightly in 2020-2021, but is back to 2019 levels in 2022, and much higher in the case of online gambling.

The prevalence of underage gambling is a problem

In 2022, among students aged 11 to 19, 15% of respondents reported gambling in the past 12 months. 5% gambled repeatedly, i.e. several times a year, and 2% gambled regularly, i.e. almost every week/daily.

Gambling addiction and its growth among the population is the main problem that the government is drawing attention to and tightening measures to curb it.

Peculiarities of regulation

Licensing. To organise gambling activities, operators are required to obtain a basic licence from the Ministry of Finance. Permission is obtained separately for each specific type of gambling. The opening of a physical gambling establishment additionally requires a licence from the municipality.

To obtain a licence, the operator must register in the Czech Republic, another EU country or an EEA country. The application fee is CZK 5 thousand. At the same time, the authorised capital of the company must be at least CZK 50 million.

Taxation. The tax rate for the sphere is 30% for most types of games, except for lotteries and slot machines - 35%. Taxation of online operators is similar to operators with an office in the Czech Republic.

Advertising restrictions. Act No. 40/1995 Coll. on Advertising prohibits advertising gambling to persons 18 years of age (minimum age for participation) and placing advertisements on facades and inside buildings.

Recent legislative trends

At the beginning of 2024, the regulation of gambling in the Czech Republic changed.

• Now not only Czechs but also foreigners can take part in gambling in the Czech Republic. This indicates that the government plans to generate more revenue from gambling.
• A tax on winnings has been introduced: if the difference between the amount of winnings and the amount of deposits for the tax period exceeds 50 thousand crowns (≈$2.1 thousand), the player must pay tax on the winnings.
• In addition, operators were prohibited to offer risky bonuses to players, and land-based operators were prohibited to offer bonuses in the form of food, tobacco, drinks, etc.
• Operators were required to provide players with information on time spent playing, amounts won and lost and available self-exclusion measures.

The Czech Republic is rapidly moving towards European trends in its legislation, with an increasing emphasis on responsible gambling. Such changes may attract major players to the market.