Slovakia

Act No. 30/2019 Coll. on Gambling Games entered into force in 2019 and, for the first time, opened the online betting and gaming market to private operators — including operators established in other EU/EEA states with a Slovak representative — replacing the prior state-restricted framework. The Úrad pre reguláciu hazardných hier (URHH) was established on 1 March 2019 and issues general and individual licences with no cap on numbers.

Licensed operators may offer online and land-based sports betting, casino, lotteries and betting games including horse-racing bets (subject to a 1% wagering contribution on horse-racing turnover). Unlicensed/offshore operators are explicitly illegal: the URHH maintains a blacklist (more than a thousand domains as of September 2026), uses DNS blocking, and cooperates with ISPs and payment providers, publishing a whitelist of legal .sk sites.

In 2025-2026 enforcement intensified — sports bodies face fines up to EUR 250,000 for links to unlicensed brands, and a May 2026 memorandum aims to expand the unlicensed-operator database. The minimum age for all gambling is 18. Prediction markets have no specific carve-out and would be unlicensed gambling, hence prohibited.

Slovakian law covers online and real-world gambling under the same statute, Act No. 30/2019 Coll. on gambling games. Betting at brick-and-mortar casinos has been legal since the end of Soviet rule. Licensed casinos and gambling halls still operate across Slovakia, but in 2025 players lost more online than in them for the first time — more than EUR 568 million in internet gambling against more than EUR 469 million in land-based halls and casinos.

Slovakia betting sites are legal and licensed: since Act No. 30/2019 Coll. the Gambling Regulatory Authority grants individual licences to any applicant that meets the statutory conditions, including companies registered in other EU member states. Online gambling is widespread in Slovakia, but unlicensed foreign sites count as a prohibited offer and internet and mobile providers are legally required to block them. Many large betting brands hold Slovak licences and run .sk sites; those that do not are placed on the regulator's list of prohibited offers.

Slovakia Betting Sites

The good thing about the current legal situation in Slovakia is that it leaves the door open for foreign operators to be licensed locally, including companies based elsewhere in the EU. Slovakia does restrict access to unlicensed sites and can stop payments to them: the regulator's list of prohibited offers now runs to more than a thousand domains, and providers that fail to block them face fines of up to half a million euros. Thus, the legal route is an operator that holds a Slovak licence.

Some caution is warranted. The gambling laws of the world vary greatly from one country to the next. Some countries give licenses to betting websites but offer few player protections. Other countries closely monitor gaming websites to ensure fairness, true randomness and prompt payment of winners.

What matters in Slovakia is not whether a site is licensed somewhere but whether it is licensed here. The Gambling Regulatory Authority publishes a list of prohibited web sites as well as a list of prohibited telephone numbers on its web site, and under § 85 of the Gambling Act internet providers and mobile operators are obliged to block access to the websites and mobile applications on it.

Is It Safe to Bet Online in Slovakia?

Only at an operator that holds a Slovak licence. Slovakia's gaming laws are not relaxed: only licensed operators may take bets, and unlicensed sites are blocked at the ISP level. This is why I stress always doing business with sites that have licenses from respected regulatory authorities.

If it helps put your mind at ease, remember that not all countries ban online gambling. Some countries have embraced it as a legitimate industry complete with tax codes, licensing requirements and regular audits of the games they have on offer.

Slovakian Gambling Laws

The primary source for gaming laws in Slovakia is Act No. 30/2019 Coll. on gambling games, which replaced the 2005 Gambling Act and entered into force on 1 March 2019. This piece of legislation addresses all aspects of gambling ranging from the national lottery to the issuance of online licenses. Its primary goals are to define the rights and duties of operators and players, oversee gaming equipment, regulate the national lottery and supervise the day-to-day operations of gambling activities throughout the country.

Gambling in Slovakia is regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority (ÚRHH), which took the function over from the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Directorate and the tax and customs offices with effect from 1 June 2019. The Authority is responsible for enforcing gaming laws, overseeing the industry and issuing general and individual licences to qualified operators. There is an entitlement to an individual licence for any applicant that meets all of the conditions laid down in the Act.

Privately owned online casinos are licensed in Slovakia and are now the largest part of the market, taking more than 36% of total gambling yield in 2025. Tipsport is one of several licensed online bookmakers; the regulator publishes the full list of legal gambling websites.

Parimutuel wagering on horses and greyhounds is legal in Slovakia although the racing industry is fairly small. The country’s largest racetrack is the Zavodisko Bratislava racetrack.

The government mulled over blocking legislation as far back as 2011, and it is now law: under § 85 of Act No. 30/2019 Coll. internet providers and mobile operators must block the websites on the regulator's list of prohibited offers.

The Slovakian government amended its gaming laws in 2016 to require international sports betting sites to apply for local licenses and submit to a 27% tax on gross gaming revenue. Many operators pulled out of the market at that time. Those that stayed without a licence are now prohibited offers: the regulator's list runs to more than a thousand domains, internet providers and mobile operators must block them under § 85 of the Gambling Act, and a provider that fails to do so faces a fine of up to half a million euros.

In 2017, the Slovakian government created a blacklist to begin blocking access to unauthorized sports betting sites doing business with Slovakian customers. In July of 2017, the Slovakian government published a list of blocked websites and sent notices to 17 operators demanding they cease operations in Slovakia. William Hill, 888 and Bwin were among those sites caught up in the blacklist.