Czech Republic.- European authorities have announced major crackdown on illegal gaming operations as unlicensed platforms have been blocked in Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic. Under recently approved regulations, three administrations decided to introduce ISP blocking to end unauthorised gaming operations.
Although ISP blocking has been criticised by internet, the European governments are reinforcing the legal battle against international gaming operators without license by banning the platforms in their jurisdictions. According to internet experts, the ban, however, is easy to break as ISP blocking is not very effective. Authorities from Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic also stated that illegal operators could be charged with over US$587k fines.
Czech legislators have been holding a long discussion on gaming laws, as the government seeks stricter control on the industry. Furthermore, the new proposal would establish time limits for players’ participation in gaming services. Operators would have to comply with new amendment, which would set a maximum limit on hour basis.
Poland has already blocked over 1k domains and is holding the stricter crackdown on online gaming platforms. Meanwhile, the Gambling Insider revealed that the Ministry of Finance of Slovakia announced last month a list of 16 operators which would be blocked, including William Hill, 888 and GVC.