Slovakia steps up youth protection against unlicensed gambling
Slovakia’s gambling regulator and a digital coalition have joined forces to limit minors’ access to unlicensed online casinos, as the country’s regulatory framework undergoes one of its most significant expansions in years.
The problem of minors accessing online gambling
On 20 May 2026, the Institute for the Regulation of Gambling in Slovakia (IPRHH) and Digitálna koalícia signed a memorandum of understanding to reduce the availability of content from unlicensed operators. The agreement comes as the Office for the Regulation of Gambling (ÚRHH) takes on a new mandate from 1 January 2026 as the primary consumer-protection supervisory authority for the gambling sector. The market itself grew 7.2 per cent in 2025, reaching €1.55bn in gross gambling revenue.
Experts say that unlicensed foreign gambling sites actively target young people. ÚRHH Director General Libuša Baranova said that “illegal sites take advantage of weak points in platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They target vulnerable groups, including minors, and do not follow the rules about responsible gambling.”
The difference between the licensed market and the rest is very clear. Unlicensed sites do not have to participate in the self-exclusion register (RVO) and often offer bonuses that are not permitted or restricted under the licensed system. Licensed operators must check players’ ages, enforce betting limits, and remain under constant regulatory oversight.
Building an expanded database of unlicensed platforms
The centrepiece of the partnership is the creation of an expanded database of unlicensed and high-risk gambling platforms. It will supplement, but not replace, the official blocklist maintained by ÚRHH. The database will draw on four sources: domestic market monitoring, regulatory experience from other EU member states, information from non-profit organisations dealing with gambling addiction, and continuous tracking of new sites as they emerge.
In a parallel initiative, ÚRHH has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. That agreement links gambling regulation to the training of future social workers and psychologists who deal directly with vulnerable groups and the consequences of gambling addiction in real life.
Reducing access to unlicensed content
The database is expected to help identify dangerous sites and implement technical blocking measures more quickly. This should mean that unlicensed content is less available in places like households, schools, and other settings where children regularly access the internet.
A specific focus has been placed on pupils from low-income families and students with special educational needs. The collaboration will launch within the framework of a national project to provide those groups with internet access, precisely the environment where the risk of exposure to unlicensed content is highest.
IPRHH Executive Director Dávid Lenčéš stated that countering the challenges of the digital environment effectively requires combining sector expertise with technological solutions. Digitálna koalícia, which brings together organisations active in digital education and safety, noted that while digital technologies create significant opportunities, they carry risks that fall disproportionately on children and young people.
Partnership perspectives
In the future, the database could become a shared tool used by internet service providers, search engines, public institutions, and other interested bodies to stop unlicensed online gambling. New formats that are quickly becoming popular among younger audiences, like esports betting and crash games, need to be regulated.
Baranova, however, is clear about where the structural ceiling lies: “If EU countries are unable to take effective action against the permissive approach of social media companies, there will be no possibility of successfully eliminating illegal gambling online.”
This article was first published in Russian on 25 May 2026.
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