Poland has no national gambling self-exclusion register, so the two things that actually work here are a phone call and a clinic appointment. The government's addiction agency, KCPU, runs a behavioural-addictions helpline on 801 889 880, open daily 17:00–22:00. An NFZ addiction outpatient clinic (poradnia leczenia uzależnień) treats gambling, needs no referral letter and costs insured patients nothing — you can phone one directly and book. Online casino games are a state monopoly; only sports betting and promotional lotteries are open to licensed private operators.
| National helpline | 801 889 880 — KCPU behavioural-addictions line, daily 17:00–22:00 |
|---|---|
| National self-exclusion register | None. Only account-level limits and blocks at each individual operator |
| Free treatment | NFZ addiction clinics — no referral needed, free for insured patients |
| Regulator | Ministry of Finance (Ministerstwo Finansów) |
| Legal gambling age | 18 (Gambling Act, art. 27) |
| Online gambling | State monopoly, except sports betting and promotional lotteries |
| Blocked-domain register | hazard.mf.gov.pl — ISPs block listed sites, payment firms cut them off |
Verified helplines
| Service | Phone / chat | Hours | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| KCPU – Telefon zaufania: uzależnienia behawioralne (behavioral addictions incl. gambling)Dedicated behavioral-addictions line — KCPU’s general drug helpline does not cover gambling. | 801 889 880 | Daily 17:00–22:00Polish | kcpu.gov.pl |
Helplines and online chat
The number to call about gambling is 801 889 880, the behavioural-addictions helpline of the Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdziałania Uzależnieniom (KCPU), the addiction agency of the Minister of Health, formed in 2022 by merging the national drug bureau and the state alcohol agency. The line runs daily from 17:00 to 22:00 and is answered in Polish. KCPU's general drug helpline is a different service and does not cover gambling, so ask for the behavioural-addictions line.
There is no Polish gambling line outside those five hours a day and no gambling-specific chat service. If it is the middle of the night and the urge is the problem rather than the paperwork, our guide on getting through a gambling urge at night is written for exactly that hour.
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
There is no national self-exclusion register in Poland as of September 2026. The Gambling Act of 19 November 2009 — the same law that created the blocked-domain register and the state monopoly — contains no equivalent of the British GAMSTOP, the Dutch Cruks or the Czech RVO. Nothing you sign in Poland locks every operator at once.
What exists is account-level. Article 15i obliges every company running gambling over the internet to operate a regulamin odpowiedzialnej gry — responsible-gambling rules approved by the Minister of Finance — which must include mechanisms that let players control their own activity and mechanisms that stop play once the money in the player account runs out. In practice that means deposit limits, session limits and an account-closure or self-exclusion setting inside each operator's account area. You have to set it separately with every company you hold an account with, and it does not follow you anywhere else.
Because the national layer is missing, device-level blocking carries more weight in Poland than in countries that run a register. See our comparison of gambling blocking apps for iPhone and Android, and the wider picture in self-exclusion schemes country by country.
Blocking gambling payments and sites
Poland blocks hard, but at operators rather than at players. Under article 15f of the Gambling Act the Minister of Finance keeps the Rejestr domen służących do oferowania gier hazardowych niezgodnie z ustawą — the register of domains offering gambling contrary to the Act. The register is public, published at hazard.mf.gov.pl, and runs on a system that pushes entries automatically to telecom operators and payment service providers. Internet providers must block the listed domains; under article 15g payment providers must stop serving them within 30 days of listing.
None of that touches a site that holds a Polish permit, and none of it is a tool you control. There is no statutory bank gambling block in Poland: card-level gambling blocks, where they exist, are a feature of an individual bank or payment app, so the only way to know is to check your own bank's app or ask its support. The layer you can switch on today is blocking software on the phone and the laptop, plus — if you gamble on a licensed site — the limits inside that account. If money is already the acute problem, start with what to do about gambling debt.
Free treatment and counselling
Gambling is treated inside the ordinary public addiction system, and it is free. NFZ, the National Health Fund, states that no referral is required for a poradnia leczenia uzależnień (addiction outpatient clinic) and that consultations and therapy there are free for insured patients; the clinics treat people dependent on alcohol, drugs or gambling. You phone the clinic yourself and book — no GP letter, no waiting for a psychiatrist to refer you. Care is outpatient, day-ward or residential depending on how bad things are.
KCPU keeps a searchable map of facilities at kcpu.gov.pl/mapa. Part of the money behind these services comes from the Fundusz Rozwiązywania Problemów Hazardowych, an earmarked state fund created by article 88 of the Gambling Act and administered by the Minister of Health, which finances prevention, therapy programmes and research into gambling addiction.
If you are calling on someone else's behalf, read how to help someone with a gambling problem first — what you say in the first conversation changes whether there is a second one.
Gambling law and the regulator
Gambling is regulated by the Ministry of Finance under the Gambling Act of 19 November 2009 (consolidated text Dz. U. 2025 poz. 595, amended 2026). Article 5(1b) makes organising gambling over the internet a state monopoly, with two exceptions: mutual betting and promotional lotteries, which private companies may offer under a permit. The monopoly is exercised through a wholly state-owned company — in practice Totalizator Sportowy — so online casino, poker, bingo and slot-style games are lawful in Poland only through the state operator, while sports betting is a licensed private market.
Article 27 sets the age limits: only people who have turned 18 may take part in gambling (raffle and promotional lotteries aside), and entry to gaming centres and betting shops is 18+. Article 29a(2) also makes it unlawful to take part in online gambling offered without the required Polish permit — the legal exposure sits with the player, not only with the offshore operator. Terms used on this page are explained in our glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a gambling self-exclusion register in Poland?
No. As of September 2026 Poland has no national self-exclusion register, and the Gambling Act of 2009 does not create one. The only exclusion available is inside each operator's own account settings, set separately with every company, so most people in Poland pair it with blocking software on their devices.
Is online casino legal in Poland?
Online casino, poker, bingo and slot-style games are a state monopoly under article 5(1b) of the Gambling Act and are lawful only through the state-owned operator. Private companies may offer sports betting and promotional lotteries with a permit. Article 29a(2) also prohibits taking part in online gambling offered without a Polish permit.
Is gambling addiction treatment free in Poland?
Yes for insured patients. NFZ states that no referral is needed for an addiction outpatient clinic and that consultations and therapy there are free; the clinics treat gambling alongside alcohol and drugs. KCPU publishes a map of facilities at kcpu.gov.pl/mapa.
What is the gambling helpline number in Poland?
801 889 880, the KCPU behavioural-addictions helpline, daily 17:00–22:00, in Polish. KCPU's general drug line does not cover gambling. Outside those hours there is no Polish gambling-specific line.