Poland’s President, Karol Nawrocki, has rejected a bill that would have raised gambling taxes from 10% to 15%. Many people in the gambling industry welcomed the move, saying the higher tax would have hurt the players and businesses.

Nawrocki said the tax hike would place too much financial pressure on citizens and go against his campaign promise under his Plan 21 not to approve any new taxes. He also criticised other recent tax increases, including the sugar tax, saying they were mainly introduced to fill government budget gaps rather than support citizens.

Concerns Over Public Finance

The government said the tax changes were meant to improve public health, but the president disagreed and said they were mainly about raising money to cover a large budget deficit. He stated, “The goal is obvious: to close the huge budget hole for which the government is responsible. After 11 months, we have a deficit of over PLN240 billion. Instead of tightening the tax system, the government is reaching into citizens’ pockets.”

He also said Parliament will now decide what happens next to the proposal. Zbigniew Bogucki added that the president’s vetoes are meant to push the government to do better, explaining, “If these solutions had stipulated that all the money coming from the surplus of these taxes would go to health care, which is in a terrible state, then the President would probably have made a different decision. But this money was supposed to fill a huge budget hole that this government itself had dug.”

Industry Reaction

Industry experts welcomed the president’s veto, saying it will help keep Poland’s legal gambling market competitive. Marek Plota, a lawyer at RM Legal in Wrocław, said, “Avoiding a tax increase helps ensure that licensed products remain commercially attractive and limits incentives for players to seek alternatives in the grey market. From a market perspective, this contributes to regulatory stability and supports channelisation objectives.”

Poland’s gambling market is tightly controlled. Private companies are allowed to offer sports betting, but there is only one legal online casino, which is run by the state. The Ministry of Finance also keeps a blacklist of illegal gambling sites, with over 50,000 unlicensed domains currently blocked.

Regulatory Stability

The president’s veto is seen as a way to keep Poland’s gambling rules stable. The government has recently taken strong action against influencers and payment companies that support illegal gambling, and by keeping the tax rate at 10%, legal operators can continue to compete and attract players to licensed platforms.

Overall, the decision is expected to make the market more predictable and reduce the chances of players turning to illegal sites. It also shows the president’s effort to protect citizens from higher taxes while still supporting a properly regulated gambling industry.