On casino websites a licence is often reduced to a small logo in the footer. What matters to a player is different: which authority issued it, under what number, and whether that can be verified in the regulator’s register. Below we compare the jurisdictions you will most often meet on the Polish market and explain what difference each makes in practice.
The starting point is unambiguous: in Poland only an online casino operating under the state monopoly is legal. No foreign licence, however reputable, replaces the Polish one or legalises an offer aimed at players in Poland. More on that: is online gambling legal in Poland.
The jurisdictions compared
| Licence | Authority | What it actually means for a player |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | Minister of Finance | The only licence valid in the Polish legal order; the operator settles the tax; currently held by Total Casino |
| Malta (MGA) | Malta Gaming Authority | Extensive supervision, complaint procedures, requirements on the operator; does not legalise an offer in Poland |
| Curaçao | Curaçao Gaming Authority (new regime since 2024; previously a master-licence system and the Gaming Control Board) | The most common offshore licence; the reform tightened requirements, but supervision remains weaker than Malta’s |
| Anjouan (Comoros) | Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority | A low-barrier licence; limited scope for pursuing a claim |
| Kahnawake (Canada) | Kahnawake Gaming Commission | One of the oldest online jurisdictions; runs its own complaints procedure |
| Estonia | Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) | An EU licence with national requirements; does not extend to the Polish market |
What a licence gives, and what it does not
It gives: defined obligations on the operator (segregation of player funds, testing of random number generators, AML and KYC duties, responsible-gambling tools) and an address to complain to. The stronger the regulator, the better the chance that a complaint produces any effect at all.
It does not give: protection within the Polish legal order. A Curaçao licence will not make an offer legal in Poland, will not shield a domain from being added to the MF domain register, and will not shift the tax duty onto the operator — with foreign casinos that duty stays with the player.
How to verify a licence in five steps
- Find the full details in the site footer: company name, registration number, the authority that issued the licence and its number. The words “licensed and regulated” on their own mean nothing.
- Go to the regulator’s own website, not to a page on the casino. Regulator addresses are easy to confirm with a search.
- Look the licence number up in the regulator’s register and check that the company name and the domain match.
- Check the expiry date and status — licences are sometimes suspended or withdrawn, and a site footer will not always reflect that.
- Check the domain in the Polish register at hazard.mf.gov.pl. No amount of foreign verification substitutes for this step.
The practical version of this, with the usual warning signs, is in the guide how to check if a casino is legal.
Warning signs
- “International licence” — no such authority exists. Licences are issued by a specific jurisdiction.
- A regulator’s logo with no number, or a number that does not appear in the register.
- A company name in the footer that differs from the one in the regulator’s register — often the residue of an out-of-date licence transfer.
- A claim of a “Polish licence” at a foreign-licensed casino — that statement is untrue.
- No registration details for the operator at all in the footer.
The Curaçao reform — why it matters
For years Curaçao ran on a master-licence model: a handful of master licensees issued sub-licences to hundreds of operators, leaving supervision highly dispersed. New rules, rolled out from 2024, moved licensing to a dedicated regulator and tightened operator requirements — on local presence, complaint procedures and anti-money-laundering among others. For a player that means a potentially higher standard, but it is still not supervision comparable to Malta’s, and from the standpoint of Polish law nothing changes at all.
Every one of our reviews states the licensing authority and number together with the date it was checked — see the online casino reviews archive. How we weight the licence in the final score is on how we rate. Gambling is 18+ and can be addictive; the free helpline in Poland is 801 889 880, with more on responsible gambling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which licence is best for a player in Poland?
The Polish Ministry of Finance licence — the only one valid in the domestic legal order. Among foreign ones, Malta (MGA) usually carries the strongest supervision, but none of them legalises an offer in Poland.
Is a Curaçao licence safe?
It imposes basic requirements on the operator, and the 2024 reform tightened them. Supervision nonetheless remains weaker than in EU jurisdictions, and pursuing a claim can be difficult.
How do I check a casino’s licence number?
Find the number in the site footer, then search for it in the regulator’s public register. Check that the company name, the domain, the status and the expiry date all line up.
Is a casino with an MGA licence legal in Poland?
No. A Maltese licence is valid in its own jurisdiction, but online casino games in Poland are covered by the state monopoly.
What does no licence at all mean?
That nobody supervises the operator, there is no complaints procedure, and no register in which anything can be verified. That is the highest-risk situation for a player.
Does a licence protect a domain from the MF register?
No. A listing concerns domains offering games contrary to the Polish Act, whatever foreign licence the operator happens to hold.