Polish bookmaker Totolotek SA is closing its retail betting operations, while the country’s latest online betting licensee is raising eyebrows due to its ties to a ‘rogue’ international operator. 

Totolotek recently announced that it would close its 116 retail betting points of sale in Poland effective March 31. The move was prompted by the pandemic’s impact on retail operations of all kinds and the resulting migration of retail bettors to Totolotek’s Polish-licensed online betting site. 

The retail closure will result in the redundancy of around 150 staff, to whom Totolotek is promising support in finding new employment. Totolotek, which is owned by a joint venture involving the Gauselmann Group’s Merkur Sportwetten subsidiary, says retail betting customers will have 90 days in which to collect on pending wagers that ultimately prove to be winners. 

Meanwhile, local media reported that Poland’s Ministry of Finance had granted regulatory approval to the country’s 20th licensed betting operator, Bukmacherska Sp. z o.o, which will operate in Poland using the Fuksiarz brand. The company, which was established in May 2019, is reportedly backed by several individuals with past and present ties to major European gambling operators.