Úrad pre Reguláciu Hazardných Hier Licensed Online Casinos and information on Slovakia Regulatory Body 2023

Overview

According to the Gambling Act No. 30, land-based gambling casinos with proper licensing can legally operate in Slovakia. In fact, land-based gambling has been legal in the country since 1993 and the country’s independence. When it comes to online gambling, it has been legal since 2005 and the main regulatory body for both online and land-based gambling activities is the Slovak Office for the Regulation of Gambling Games. 

The Slovak Ministry of Finance appointed the Úrad pre Reguláciu Hazardných Hier or the Slovakia Regulatory Body to deal with everything related to online and land-based gambling activities conducted on the territory of Slovakia. The Slovakia Regulatory Body has been operational since the 1st of March 2019. It assists the Slovak Ministry of Finance with enforcing new gambling laws and regulations and making sure that all licensed operators run their businesses in accordance with the main gambling legislature.

The Office for the Regulation of Gambling Games assumed responsibility for state administration in the area of land-based and online gambling on the 1st of June 2019, taking over responsibilities from the Slovak Republic's Ministry of Finance, the Financial Directorate, tax authorities, and customs officials. The Office for the Regulation of Gambling Games is a budget institution whose revenues and expenditures are included in the country’s national budget through the Slovak Ministry of Finance, the main jurisdictional body for the entire territory.

The Gambling Regulation Office has its headquarters in Bratislava. With the permission of the Slovak Republic's Minister of Finance, the Office for the Regulation of Gambling created six new offices on the 1st of June 2019, and each office is tasked with supervising gambling operators in the local area, including Nitra, Žilina, Košice, Bratislava, Prešov, and Banská Bystrica. 

With this being said, the Úrad pre Reguláciu Hazardných Hier (Office for the Regulation of Gambling Games) is tasked with overseeing many different types of gambling activities, including:

• Online Casinos 
• Online Sports Betting
• Games of Chance
• Lotteries
• Bingo Games

The primary goals of the Úrad pre Reguláciu Hazardných Hier are to provide frameworks for the preservation of public interest and order in the conduct of gambling operations and to guarantee player protection in all circumstances. The gambling regulatory body is also responsible for promoting responsible gambling and protecting minors and vulnerable individuals. 

The Gambling Regulation Office also grants general gambling licenses and makes decisions regarding the granting and revocation of gambling licenses in accordance with the main gambling legislation in Slovakia. When the decision regarding the granting of a gambling license is final, the Gambling Regulation Office will send that decision immediately to the local municipality, on whose land the operation of gambling games was permitted by the decision. 

The Gambling Regulation Office conducts regular audits on all licensed operators’ activities to make sure they operate according to local laws and regulations, besides issuing guidelines for the entire gambling field. In addition, the Slovakia Regulatory Body is also responsible for combating illegal practices. The Gambling Regulation Office also administers levies and cooperates with the Slovak Ministry of Finance in imposing sanctions against gambling operators which violated any of the gambling laws and regulations.