The Employers and Employees of the Bookmakers Companies Association has appealed to the Polish Government to help save thousands of jobs in the betting and gaming sector.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Association says there are currently around 1,500 stationary betting shops in Poland, employing approximately 5,000 people.

The current decline in Polish gaming activity within the licensed sector is estimated to be around 60%, with fears this number will increase as time goes on.

As such, the Association is calling on the Government to help an industry which generates PLN 7bn ($1.7bn) in annual turnover and PLN 820m in annual tax revenue.

To do this, the Association requests a reduction in tax on gambling and lottery from 12% to 10% – only during the pandemic (although a minimum period of March to September is also stated).

It has also requested payment of this tax to be postponed to September 2020.