Over the years, Poland has stood out as an esports and online casinos giant with many players from the country experiencing the best of both worlds. In fact, Poland is ranked as one of the biggest markets for online casinos and esports in Europe and globally. But, just when and how did esports and online casinos become popular?
Online Casinos in Poland
In recent years, Polish online casinos have witnessed their land-based counterparts giving them a run for their money. The face of Polish online gambling changed with the introduction of cut-throat gambling regulations in 2011, which made it difficult for gamblers to access online casinos from Poland. However, despite the country’s heavy monitoring of gambling, enthusiasts can now access their favourite games via international online casinos that accept Polish players.
Big-time European online casinos have found their way there, as seen by the colossal success of Casino euro in Poland. Although the casino’s name is Casino euro, it can be played anywhere in the world. Since Poland doesn’t have that many land-based casinos, online sites provide an entertainment getaway that players can easily access via the press of a button.
As for the legal betting sites that are allowed, most offer only a few casino games like lotto, slots and keno, while others predominantly offer sports and fixed odds betting. Even though the online betting scene in Poland has experienced its ups and downs with the somewhat restrictive regulations by authorities, this hasn’t stopped the industry from flourishing.
Esports in Poland
Esports or electronic sports are video games played on the internet, often for cash and are watched by other people in organised events. Poland has been making more waves in the esports industry in recent years, with the Polish esports sector being ranked top 20 worldwide. The esports culture in Poland started to crop up in the 90s and has since increased.
There are roughly 16 million gamers in Poland, with 2.6 million participating in esports. The gaming sector hasn’t only grown in consumers, but there has also been a rise in Polish gaming developers. Poland’s CD Projekt Red and Blooper Team are just some of the few Polish companies dominating the gaming scene with smash hits such as “The Medium” and “The Witcher”.
Many esports competitions are being organised in Poland by independent bodies. In Katowice, the most significant esports events in Poland are organised by Intel Extreme Masters. Entities such as the Polish Esports League are also trying to create competitions to give players from each team a chance to shine. Some successful Polish esports players have made a name for themselves on the global map. Names such as Filip, Kubski, Marcin and Jaroslaw are hardly new to any gamer.
The future for Poland’s esports and gambling industry can only be predicted to grow even more. Esports have already cut their niche and many offshore casino sites are starting to accept Polish players giving them the chance to enjoy roulette, slots, blackjack and many other casino games online.
