Since January 1st of this year, a comprehensive amendment to the Gambling Act has been in effect in the Czech Republic, introducing changes to the process of blocking websites offering illegal gambling. The new measures allow for the blocking of not only illegal online casinos but also promotional websites, which often serve as gateways to the world of illegal online business. These changes have significantly expedited the administrative process, enabling the Ministry of Finance to block 462 websites by mid-November—an increase of approximately 31.5% compared to the entire previous year.
The rise of online gambling
In recent years, online gambling has experienced significant growth, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions on brick-and-mortar establishments, whose numbers have been steadily declining since 2011. Since 2021, revenues from online gambling have consistently surpassed those from physical venues in overall gambling tax collections.
However, the expansion of online gambling has brought the issue of illegal gambling and its associated risks to the forefront. This is evidenced by the number of websites blocked by the Ministry of Finance, which include those offering illegal games and bets, as well as newly targeted promotional websites linking to unauthorized operators. So far this year, 462 such sites have been blocked. “The current number of blocked sites as of mid-October has already surpassed last year’s total of 351, which was itself a record-breaking figure,” says Jan Řehola, Director of the Institute for Gambling Regulation.
Accelerated administrative process
The record number of blocked websites is largely due to the Gambling Act amendment, which came into force earlier this year. The Ministry of Finance now focuses on whether a website without proper authorization is accessible in the Czech Republic. Previously, the primary criterion was whether the site specifically targeted Czech players by featuring elements such as the Czech language, currency, registration options for Czech residents, and other aspects. This often made the verification process complex, resulting in a blocking duration of 4 to 6 months per site—a timeframe now significantly shortened by the amendment.
“In the past, authorities had to prove that illegal sites were targeting residents of the Czech Republic during administrative proceedings. Most operators of such sites are based in Curaçao, a small Caribbean island home to thousands of illegal gambling operators, which also accounts for the majority of blocked websites. Thanks to the amendment, we only need to demonstrate that an unauthorized site is accessible from the Czech Republic. As a result, a site can now be blacklisted in a third of the time it previously took,” explains Martin Šabo, Director of the Department for Administrative Processes and Gambling Regulation at the Ministry of Finance.
Another important novelty is the ability to block “promotional” websites that attract readers to illegal gambling through reviews of specific casinos or links to their sites. This has proven effective in curbing “mirror” sites, which are copies of previously blocked websites with minimally altered URLs. Promotional sites ensure that these mirrors continue reaching users. “These are often ‘review’ sites promoting unauthorized online casinos and providing information about games and bonuses. Many are operated by the illegal casino operators themselves,” adds Šabo.
Blocking promotional websites—a key new tool
Promotional websites often rank highly on popular search engines like Google and Seznam, granting illegal operators significant visibility. However, this is gradually changing with the new ability to block such sites. A case study by the Institute for Gambling Regulation and GTO Solutions, s.r.o. focused on one of the largest Czech promotional websites (Hravelka.com), which advertised over 30 illegal casinos. The site was blocked in March this year, leading to a drop in monthly traffic from tens of thousands to nearly zero. Annual traffic had previously reached up to 190,000 users.
A mirror site with identical content emerged in April, but despite an initial spike in popularity, it has not regained its predecessor’s traffic levels. Since summer, the new site has averaged less than 1,000 monthly visitors—a 94% decline compared to the original. This has also led to fewer players engaging with the illegal casinos. The Ministry of Finance and customs authorities continue monitoring these emerging mirror sites.
Additionally, companies offering applications in their digital stores, such as Google Play and App Store, are now required to block apps containing illegal content.
Illegal gambling remains a persistent problem
The Institute for Gambling Regulation has long been combatting illegal websites, filing reports with customs authorities and contacting owners or editors of online platforms hosting promotional texts and banners for illegal gambling. In many cases, these platforms are exploited without the owners’ knowledge, with illegal content placed by hackers. Over recent months, the Institute has alerted numerous site owners about over 126 illegal pages, resulting in the removal of such content in 87% of cases.
“It’s encouraging that the Ministry of Finance can address an increasing number of illegal sites, especially promotional ones that have heavily supported illegal casinos in the past. However, illegal offerings online remain widespread. According to the Black Book of Illegal Gambling analysis, over 50% of organic search results on Google feature ads for illegal gambling,” warns Řehola, adding that an estimated 30% of online gambling in the Czech Republic occurs with unauthorized operators.
