Slovaks spent 1.45 billion euros on gambling in 2024

"The largest market share is still held by online casinos, which recorded a year-on-year increase in revenue by 29.9% to almost 476 million euros, while contributions to the state budget increased by 35.1% to 126 million euros," assessed Martin Bohoš, Director General of the Gambling Regulatory Authority, adding that "Their significant growth is related to innovations in digital services, changes in consumer behavior and effective regulation by the state."

Despite the significant increase in online casinos, an interesting fact remains that Slovaks lost 481 million euros in land-based gambling halls and casinos, which is 5 million more than in online casinos.

Land-based gambling halls continue to hold a stable position in the gambling market as a traditional form of gambling with a revenue of 340 million euros, despite the fact that they were the only type of gambling to record a decrease in all indicators.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority expects that in 2025 there may be a decrease in revenues from land-based gaming and casinos, which will be a consequence of stricter regulations at the local government level. At the same time, the authority emphasized that this situation may lead to the transfer of players to the illegal market, which will require stricter supervision and the introduction of more effective mechanisms to eliminate illegal activities.

In 2024, odds betting also recorded an increased increase, thanks to major sporting events such as the 2024 European Football Championship and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Players in this segment lost 313 million euros. The state received almost 87 million euros in fees from odds betting, which represents a year-on-year increase of 8%.

In terms of income for the state in 2024, numerical lotteries also played a significant role, thanks to which 47.7 million euros flowed into the state budget, which represents an increase of 9.3% compared to last year.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority continues to actively monitor and eliminate illegal gambling activities, and in 2024 it included another 89 websites on the List of Prohibited Sites. In total, this list already includes more than 820 illegal online platforms that offer gambling without a valid license.

"The fight against illegal gambling is one of our main priorities. Every year, we monitor new attempts to circumvent regulation and take measures to eliminate them. Our task is to ensure that players have access to a safe and transparent gaming environment provided by legally licensed operators," said Martin Bohoš, Director General of the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

In the coming period, the Office will continue to focus on the development of modern regulatory mechanisms that will ensure the protection of players, the elimination of illegal practices, and the stable development of the licensed gambling market in Slovakia.