Poland: does a prize draw with a purchase condition need a permit?
Yes. A purchase-linked prize draw counts as a promotional lottery in Poland and needs a prior permit from the regional tax administration.
Rated: hard
Planning effort, not legal risk, and not legal advice. Before every launch the mechanic is confirmed by a law firm admitted in the market.
In detail
Regulated as a promotional lottery unless the mechanic is skill-based or entry genuinely requires no purchase at all
Permit from the regional tax administration (KAS); the authority has two months by law, and the rules of play need approval too
Flat tax above set exemption thresholds
A bank guarantee for the prize payout and a permit fee of 10 % of the prize pool, subject to a statutory minimum, are part of the application; running one unlicensed carries an administrative fine of five times the permit fee, plus personal criminal exposure under the fiscal penal code
Poland's Gambling Act treats any promotion that combines a chance outcome with a purchase condition as a promotional lottery requiring a prior permit from the regional tax administration, and running one unlicensed risks substantial fines. Marketers stay outside the regime with skill-based mechanics, or where entry genuinely requires no purchase at all: a parallel free-entry route alongside a purchase route does not reliably remove the permit requirement. Prizes carry a flat tax above set exemption thresholds, withheld and paid by the organiser. The regulatory framework is public. What isn't is the sequencing that keeps the permit window inside the campaign timeline instead of derailing it, which is the part we handle. Status: mid-2026.
What this means for your campaign
Plan two months. The application includes the rules of play, which are approved separately, and a bank guarantee for the payout; the permit fee of 10 % of the prize pool comes on top.
All 41 markets side by side
The permit check puts all 41 markets side by side and adds up the effort for your market selection. The full legal sources are on the market rules overview.
Planning a campaign in Poland?
Tell us the mechanic, the markets and the date. You get a fixed-price concept back within three business days, including the permit route per market.