Czechia has a real national self-exclusion register: the Rejstřík vyloučených osob (RVO), run by the Ministry of Finance. Anyone can join, it is free, and it blocks you from online gambling, fixed-odds betting, slot machines and entry to any herna or casino at once. You cannot ask to be removed for a year after registering. The national quitline for gambling, 800 350 000, is free on weekdays 10:00–18:00 and offers up to 15 free consultations with an addiction counsellor or psychologist.
| National helpline | 800 350 000 — Národní linka pro odvykání, free, weekdays 10:00–18:00 |
|---|---|
| National self-exclusion | RVO (Rejstřík vyloučených osob), free, run by the Ministry of Finance |
| What RVO covers | Online gambling, fixed-odds betting, slot machines, entry to herny and casinos |
| Minimum period | 1 year before you may apply to be removed |
| How to apply | Online identity, data box, post with a notarised signature, or through a gambling operator |
| Free counselling | Up to 15 individual sessions via the national quitline |
| Regulator | Ministry of Finance (Ministerstvo financí) |
| Legal gambling age | 18 (Act 186/2016 Sb., § 7 and § 69) |
Verified helplines
| Service | Phone / chat | Hours | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Národní linka pro odvykání (national quitline, incl. gambling)National quitline established by the Office of the Government; gambling branch also listed on hazardni-hrani.cz (Klinika adiktologie). Map of regional help services: hazardni-hrani.cz and zodpovednehrani.cz. | 800 350 000Online counselling via chciodvykat.cz | Weekdays 10:00–18:00; freeCzech | chciodvykat.cz/odvykani-hrani |
Helplines and online chat
The gambling line is 800 350 000, the branch of the Národní linka pro odvykání that deals with hraní. Calls are free, weekdays 10:00–18:00, and the service is run by AdiPoint, z. ú. with support from the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and the City of Prague. Its gambling pages are at chciodvykat.cz/odvykani-hrani, and you can write instead of calling: poradte@chciodvykat.cz.
The line is not only a one-off conversation. It offers a course of up to 15 individual consultations with an addiction counsellor or psychologist, aimed at building a quit plan and holding it. That is unusual for a helpline and worth using — it is free.
A map of regional services is kept at hazardni-hrani.cz, run by the Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a závislosti under the Ministry of Health.
If the losses have brought you to thoughts of ending your life, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. Free crisis lines in any country are listed at findahelpline.com, and gambling lines by country are in our helplines directory. Debt and self-exclusion paperwork can wait until tomorrow.
Self-exclusion
The Rejstřík vyloučených osob (RVO) is a non-public state information system administered by the Ministry of Finance. Operators query it and receive only a yes-or-no answer — never the reason you are listed.
It covers gambling for which registration is legally required. Under § 17a of Act 186/2016 Sb. that means fixed-odds betting, totalisator games, technical (slot machine) games and all internet gambling; the register also bars entry to a herna or casino. Lotteries, tombolas and raffles are outside it.
Anyone may join, whether or not they already have a problem, and registration is free. There are four routes: electronic identity, a data box (datová schránka), post with a notarised signature, or — since 1 July 2024 — through a gambling operator.
One rule matters more than the rest: from the day after you are entered, a one-year protective period (ochranná lhůta) runs, during which you cannot be removed. Treat the decision as binding for twelve months, because it is.
Some people are entered automatically by law rather than by choice — among them those receiving living-allowance benefits or jointly assessed for them, people in insolvency proceedings, people under a court-ordered gambling ban or ordered treatment, and people with unpaid child-maintenance obligations. Those entries end when the underlying ground ends, not on request. Forms and the current procedure are on the ministry's RVO pages at mf.gov.cz.
Blocking gambling payments and sites
Alongside the register, Czechia blocks unlicensed operators at the network and the payment layer. The Ministry of Finance keeps the seznam nepovolených internetových her. Under § 84a of Act 186/2016 Sb. internet providers must block a listed site from the fifteenth day after it is entered, and under § 84b payment providers may not process transactions to or from a payment account on the list. The published data is updated regularly — the version live at the time of writing is dated 31 August 2026 (mf.gov.cz).
That regime is aimed at illegal sites, not at a person who wants to stop. There is no statutory bank gambling block in Czechia; card-level blocks are a feature of individual banks or payment apps, so check your own bank's app. The player-facing tools are the RVO plus blocking software on your own devices, which is what closes the gap left by offshore sites.
Free treatment and counselling
The quickest free route is the quitline's own programme: up to 15 individual consultations with an addiction counsellor or psychologist, booked through 800 350 000 or poradte@chciodvykat.cz.
For longer or face-to-face care, the help map on hazardni-hrani.cz lists regional addiction (adiktologické) services. The same site signposts debt counselling through Člověk v tísni, which matters because in gambling the debt and the gambling usually have to be worked on in parallel — see what to do about gambling debt.
Gambling law and the regulator
Gambling is governed by Act 186/2016 Sb. and licensed by the Ministry of Finance, which issues the základní povolení (basic permit) for each type of game, including internet games. Online gambling has been lawful with such a permit since the Act took effect on 1 January 2017.
The age limit is absolute: under § 7(1) an operator may not allow anyone under 18 to take part in gambling, and § 69 bars anyone under 18 from entering a gaming venue at all. The full text of the Act is public (zakonyprolidi.cz). Terms are explained in our glossary, and if you are worried about someone else, start with the signs of a gambling problem.
Frequently asked questions
How do I self-exclude from gambling in Czechia?
Apply to the Ministry of Finance to be entered in the Rejstřík vyloučených osob (RVO). You can do it with an electronic identity, through a data box, by post with a notarised signature, or since 1 July 2024 through a gambling operator. Registration is free and open to anyone, with or without a diagnosed problem.
What does the RVO actually block?
Gambling that legally requires registration: fixed-odds betting, totalisator games, slot machines and all internet gambling, plus entry to any herna or casino. Lotteries, tombolas and raffles are not covered. Operators check the register and get only a yes-or-no answer without the reason.
Can I cancel my RVO entry?
Not for a year. A one-year protective period runs from the day after registration, during which no removal request is accepted. Entries made automatically by law — for example during insolvency or under a court order — end when the underlying ground ends rather than on request.
Is online gambling legal in Czechia?
Yes, with a basic permit (základní povolení) from the Ministry of Finance, lawful since 1 January 2017. Sites without one go on the seznam nepovolených internetových her, which internet providers must block from the fifteenth day after listing and which payment providers must refuse to serve.
Sources
- Ministry of Finance — RVO, informace pro veřejnost
- Ministry of Finance — RVO, nejčastější otázky
- Ministry of Finance — Důležité informace k zápisu na vlastní žádost a ze zákona
- Ministry of Finance — Seznam nepovolených internetových her
- Národní linka pro odvykání — Odvykání hraní
- Hazardní hraní (Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a závislosti)
- Zákon č. 186/2016 Sb., o hazardních hrách