Polish mobile payments system Blik will begin blocking transactions linked to illegal gambling websites from 1 September, following regulatory approval from the President of the National Bank of Poland.
The new mechanism, announced by Blik operator Polish Payment Standard (PSP), will check whether the domain initiating a transaction appears on the Ministry of Finance's register of websites operating in breach of Poland's Gambling Act. If a match is found, the transaction will be blocked.
According to PSP, the system will apply to payments processed by both domestic and foreign payment agents, extending the reach of the controls beyond Poland's borders.
The verification process will be enabled through an API connection between the BLIK payment scheme and the Ministry of Finance's register of prohibited gambling domains.
Jerzy Mroczek, Director of the Legal Department at PSP, said the solution is designed to support the consistent application of Polish gambling regulations while helping payment providers meet their legal obligations regardless of the payment processing model used.
The announcement comes as payment providers are facing growing scrutiny over their role in combating illegal gambling. Across Europe, regulators and industry bodies have increasingly focused on disrupting payment channels used by unlicensed operators, reflecting a broader "follow the money" enforcement strategy.
Figures published by Poland's Ministry of Finance earlier this year suggest the country's online gambling grey market is shrinking, with its estimated share falling from 58.6% in 2017 to 29.1% in 2024. The Ministry also reported that its register of illegal gambling domains now contains more than 55,000 entries, with around 700 new domains added each month.
BLIK processed 2.9 billion transactions worth PLN441.5bn ($116.4bn) during 2025, making it one of Poland's largest digital payment systems. The introduction of transaction blocking thus represents another major step in efforts to limit financial access to unlicensed gambling operators.
Poland's Ministry of Finance estimates the online gambling grey market declined from 58.6% in 2017 to 29.1% in 2024, while its register of illegal gambling domains now contains more than 55,000 websites
