Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Although government regulations are very strict in many respects, they are not always effective. Therefore, in specific areas, it is far more effective for industry leaders—who share a vision of sustainability and social responsibility in their business operations—to take the lead. Self-regulation plays a key role, for example, in the areas of prevention, harm reduction, and responsible gambling. 

• In particular, it is being established under the auspices of the IPRH, which represents 95% of the legal market. The project’s ambitions are commensurate with such broad market representation: to establish a uniform standard of protection and social responsibility for the entire gambling market.
• The project has succeeded in bringing together competing gambling operators, who have voluntarily committed—beyond the scope of already strict legal regulations—to follow rules that will contribute to a safer gaming environment. In other words, to ensure that gambling remains entertainment and does not become a problem.
• Gambling operators are collaborating with leading Czech experts to develop a software solution that will identify potential at-risk players, who can then be provided with timely and effective professional assistance.

Responsible Gaming is a comprehensive initiative focused on ensuring that gambling remains a safe form of entertainment for players. Although gambling does not pose any problems for the vast majority of society, there is still a 1 to 3 percent segment of the general population for whom there are significant risks that could lead to the development of problem gambling. And it is that 3% of the population that we want to focus on.

1. The Responsible Gaming Commitment is a document that outlines all the specific rules that gambling operators have committed to follow in order to contribute to a safer gambling environment through responsible behavior toward players and responsible advertising and marketing.
2. Support provided by a network of experts, including addiction specialists as well as financial and legal advisors. We have focused on ensuring that the network is comprehensive and does not rely on just one form of assistance. We are building and gradually expanding the network so that help is as accessible as possible to those in need. We are collaborating with leading addiction specialists to develop this network.
3. Educational videos will help promote responsible player behavior by highlighting the most important principles to ensure that gambling remains a form of entertainment for players and does not become a problem.
4. Using artificial intelligence and big data analysis, we are developing a predictive mathematical model that will evaluate changes in a gambler’s behavior in real time. The software will be able to recognize when a player begins to gamble in a risky manner and will immediately alert the player to this fact.
5. A training center that will educate employees of gambling operators on responsible gaming.

The goal of the Responsible Gaming project is to promote prevention and prevent the development of problem gambling, educate the general public about responsible gaming, collaborate with professional organizations on education and research, develop software for the early detection of problem gamblers, and effectively provide assistance. At the same time, it aims to participate in training gambling operators’ employees on responsible gaming and to organize Responsible Gaming Week.

The Responsible Gaming project was developed by the Institute for Gambling Regulation in collaboration with experts in the field of addiction and gambling operators.

The main difference lies in the level of involvement in the project.

Both the main partners and accredited members have voluntarily committed to adhering to rules that go beyond regulatory requirements and agree on the need to focus their attention on the 3% of the population who may be prone to problem gambling.

The list of self-restriction measures that a player can set depends on the type of gambling game.

For online games, each player can set a maximum

• bet amount per day,
• bet amount per calendar month,
• net loss amount per day,
• net loss amount per calendar month,
• the number of logins to the user account per calendar month,
• the duration of a daily login to the user account before automatic logout,
• the period during which the player will not be allowed to participate in gambling with this operator after logging out of the user account.

Generally, a net loss is defined as the difference between the total amount of bets and the total amount of winnings for a given calendar day or calendar month. However, this does not apply to all types of games. In the case of live games, it is the difference between the total funds received from the player for the purchase of chips and the total funds paid out to the player in exchange for the chips presented.

This registry lists individuals who are prohibited from participating in certain games of chance, including all games of chance operated via the Internet. This registry includes individuals who, for example, receive financial assistance for those in material need, have been declared bankrupt under the Insolvency Act by a final court decision, or have had such a restriction imposed by a court as part of criminal proceedings. As of July 1, 2022, this also applies to individuals who fail to fulfill their child support obligations toward a dependent child who has been awarded substitute child support.

Individuals may also be entered into the registry at their own request.

Instructions on how to register in the register of disqualified persons.

Starting July 1, 2024, gambling operators are required to provide players with an emergency button to block further play.

The button serves as an emergency brake in cases where a player’s gambling has gotten out of hand and they need to take a break. Upon pressing the button, the player will be immediately prevented from further play for a period of 48 hours. This applies to both legal brick-and-mortar gaming establishments, casinos, and betting offices, as well as all online games.

Operators must then also offer the player the option to permanently enroll in the Register of Excluded Persons.

You can learn more about how the Panic Button works in our article. 

In addition to voluntary self-restriction measures, there are also legal restrictions on participation in gambling. These include, for example, a mandatory 15-minute break after every 2 hours of playing slot machines, and a limit on bets per slot machine game of 100 Kč in gaming halls and 1,000 Kč in casinos and online. There is also a limit on the amount that can be won from a single game of chance: 50,000 Kč in gaming halls and 500,000 Kč in casinos and online.

Under the law, cash transactions (deposits or withdrawals) related to an online gaming account are limited to a maximum of 5,000 Kč within a 24-hour period. As for non-cash transactions, these may be limited by the operator only on the basis of an approved gaming plan.

For online gaming accounts, you can find your gaming history in the "Your Account" menu. For online games, the operator is required to display the amount of time you have been playing.

Yes, you can request this statement from the service provider, and the service provider is required to provide it to you.

Yes, it is possible to ask an individual operator to exclude you from participating in the gambling games it operates, or you can submit a request to the Ministry of Finance to be entered into the Register of Persons Excluded from Participating in Gambling Games.

New regulations have been in effect since 2017, placing high demands on operators while also introducing strict rules that are unparalleled in other industries. These include, for example:

• registration of every player
• verification of identity, age, and presence on the excluded persons registry
• recording of all player bets.

This may come as a shock to many, but 97% of gamblers do not have a gambling problem. According to both Czech and European statistics, only 2 to 3% of gamblers are actually problem gamblers. There are 144,000 at-risk gamblers in the Czech Republic.

The oft-cited analogy that the Czech Republic is the “casino of Europe” is a thing of the past. Since 2014, there has been a sharp decline in the number of slot machines in the country. The latest comparison of European countries from 2019 shows that, with 3.4 slot machines per 1,000 residents, we are in line with the average and rank alongside countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. In contrast, the study lists Italy (6.4), Denmark (4.3), Spain (4.2), Slovakia (4), and Finland (3.8) among the countries with the highest ratio of slot machines per 1,000 inhabitants. As of January 1, 2024, 2.5 slot machines per 1,000 residents were authorized in the Czech Republic.

The following figures illustrate just how sharp the decline in the number of slot machines has been over the years. In 2011, 101,992 slot machines were authorized throughout the Czech Republic, while last year that number had fallen to just 24,202—a total decline of more than 76%. An even greater decline—nearly 92%—affected gambling establishments. Of the 8,367 establishments in 2011, only 707 are currently in operation.

A higher gambling tax does not protect players in any way. This is because it does not increase the price of an addictive good, as is the case with excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol. A gambling tax is not an excise tax, but a direct tax. A gambler always wagers the same 100 crowns, regardless of the tax rate paid by the operator. There is not a single study in the world that demonstrates that increasing the operator’s tax can improve player protection. A whole range of other preventive measures serves this purpose.

Municipalities and cities often impose bans on gambling in the belief that this will eliminate gambling and thus protect their residents. Unfortunately, they are very much mistaken. A ban on gambling does not mean no gambling at all, but rather illegal gambling. Statistics from the Customs Administration provide evidence of this. Since 2017, the agency has uncovered 1,296 illegal gambling establishments and seized 5,796 illegal slot machines, particularly in areas where a blanket ban on gambling has been enacted. Illegal operations are all the more dangerous because they do not comply with even the most basic regulations and expose problem gamblers and minors to the risk of addiction.