The Czech Republic has expanded its gambling exclusion register following the introduction of new welfare rules. The measures automatically prohibit recipients of the country's new living allowance benefit, along with members of their household, from participating in any licensed gambling activity.
The measure took effect in August as part of the rollout of the country's new consolidated welfare payment, known as the "super benefit."
Eligible recipients are automatically entered into the Register of Persons Excluded from Gambling using data provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Neither the Ministry of Finance nor licensed gambling operators can alter or remove the registration, which remains in place for as long as the qualifying benefit is received.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the exclusion register contained 236,228 individuals in July, including around 19,000 who voluntarily requested to be excluded. Following the latest changes, the figure has increased to 299,362.
The ministry expects the total number of excluded individuals to fall slightly over time. Unlike the previous welfare system, not all recipients of the new super benefit will be added to the register. Automatic exclusion applies only to those receiving the living allowance component, meaning people receiving housing-related support alone will no longer be included on that basis.
The register covers all licensed gambling activities in the Czech Republic, including casinos, gaming halls and sports betting, but excludes products such as raffle draws and scratchcards. Insolvency and receipt of social welfare benefits have historically been among the most common reasons for automatic inclusion.
The latest expansion comes as regulated gambling markets continue to tighten responsible gambling measures internationally.
In Brazil, licensed betting operators have estimated that similar restrictions preventing welfare beneficiaries from accessing regulated betting platforms have reduced the legal market by around 15% to 16% since they were introduced in October 2025. Operators there have argued the rules apply only to licensed platforms, potentially diverting some customers towards unregulated operators that are not subject to the same restrictions. While in Argentina, several provinces have introduced measures preventing individuals who fail to pay court-ordered child support (alimony) from gambling.
The Czech Republic introduced its gambling exclusion register in 2020 as part of its responsible gambling framework
