The Czech gambling industry trade association, the Institute for Regulation of Gambling Games (IPRH), has called for greater cooperation between regulators, experts, non-profit organisations and gambling operators to strengthen addiction prevention and harm reduction.
Speaking at a public hearing of the Czech Senate on 30 July, IPRH director Jan Řehola argued that regulated gambling operators should not be viewed solely as part of the problem but can also play an active role in protecting players through their technology, data and direct customer relationships.
Several responsible gambling tools have been developed in recent years through cooperation between the state, experts and operators.
One example in the Czech Republic is the Panic Button, which allows players to immediately stop gambling for 48 hours. It is available directly within the operator environment, meaning players can access it at the moment they may need it.
Similarly, operators are helping make the Helpline more accessible by providing contact details for professional support on their websites and within their user environments. Where operators identify signs of problem gambling, they can also direct players towards professional help.
The number of contacts with the Helpline has continued to grow, rising from 144 calls in 2022 to 618 in 2023, 1,718 in 2024 and 2,660 in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, the Helpline recorded a further 730 calls, representing a 43% year-on-year increase.
Another initiative is IRIS – the Risky Betting Identifier, which uses pseudonymised data to help identify risky behaviour patterns across individual operators.
Earlier this month, new welfare rules automatically added thousands more people to the Czech gambling exclusion register
