Poland’s July 4 presidential runoff may decide the fate of online gambling in the nation for the near future. I liked the late President Lech Kaczynski, mostly because of his extreme opposition to communism, and like many people, was saddened when he, his wife, and top ranking delegates died in the April 10 plane crash. However, it is no secret that President Kaczynski, despite his other virtues, was no friend of online gambling.

President Kaczynski passed strict gambling laws, including restricting all forms of gambling to casinos. He also banned online gambling in the country and attempted to block Polish access to overseas online casinos. Online gamblers then had few options in Poland.

Though President Kaczynski’s death was a tragedy, proponents of online gambling hope that something good will come out of it. The late president’s twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is also a member of the Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc party and, if elected, plans to continue most of the policies of his brother. However, he is trailing in the polls to his runoff opponent, Bronislaw Komorowski. The current acting-president, Komorowski is a member of the Tlatforma Obywatelska party, which is also a conservative party, like the Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc, but is closer to the center and tends to be more accepting of gambling.

Though I have not heard Komorowski speak specifically on the subject of online gambling, many believe that he favors regulating and taxing the industry, making it easier for Polish citizens to access online casinos and possibly safer as well. The good news for Poland is that both candidates to replace the late Kaczynski are good options overall (which is the opposite of America’s 2008 choices). For online gambling proponents, though, a Komorowski win, which seems likely, has a better outlook for their pastime.

Tags: Bronislaw Komorowski, gambling legislation, Lech Kaczynski, online casinos, online gambling, Poland casinos, Poland gambling, Polish gambling, Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc, Tlatforma Obywatelska

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