Online gambling war in Czech Republic

Radio Praha reported that in the coming year online gambling industry, at least 5 largest players, will be at last legalized in Czech Republic. It should be noted that the official registration and legal licensures are only applied to the local online gambling businesses while foreign Internet betting companies have been operating for some time already without any control and even taxes. Moreover, unlike foreign online casinos Czech gambling businesses who want to operate on the web will have to follow a number of strict rules.

Czech gambling companies are losing out per some estimates several hundred millions a year to foreign companies offering Internet gambling from outside the country with neither taxes paid nor jobs offered to Czech people. The date for licenses issue is January 5, 2009. Companies that will properly make all the preparations till the specified date will be able to launch their operations the same day.

The activity of the newly registered online casinos will be strictly and closely monitored with a number of liability obligations imposed on them. While in case with foreign Internet betting businesses every person, including teenagers, can gamble online without any control, local companies will have to control the situation. If a person wants to bet through online casino they should register in a bricks and mortar office and show their ID. Only then will they be allowed to play. These and other restrictions the companies decided to accept persuaded the government to agree to a licensing and regulatory system.