From Sept 1 BLIK will check domains before payment

29 July 2026 Poland Radar 0 Comments

From Sept 1 BLIK domain check will block payments to registered illegal gambling sites, helping curb money flows lost to offshore casinos.

From Sept 1 Poland’s most popular mobile payment system will perform a BLIK domain check before each online payment. Consequently, the change aims to stop some payments to illegitimate gambling sites. Moreover, the system will consult a public ministry register before you confirm a transfer.

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BLIK domain check: what changes from September 1

Polish Standard Płatności, the operator of BLIK, received approval from the central bank in May. Therefore, the firm updated its rules and informed banks and payment integrators in late June. In addition, the technical rollout inside the company is complete. Consequently, the new check will become active on 1 September 2026.

How the mechanism works and why it matters

The check runs during payment authorization, not after the fact. In practice, the system queries the Ministry of Finance domain registry via API. If the domain appears on the list, BLIK will not accept the payment for execution. As a result, users cannot fund illegal casino accounts or reload gambling wallets. However, the block will affect only addresses in the public registry, not every gambling website.

Moreover, Poland’s Ministry of Finance registry lists exact domain names. In mid-July it contained 55,998 entries. Consequently, the register grows by roughly 700 domains each month. In addition, many entries reflect cloned or mirrored addresses. Therefore, the count does not equal unique operators. For expats: a Polish legal operator will not appear there. Meanwhile, a site legal under Malta law can still be illegal under Polish gambling law. In short, national rules determine inclusion in the list.

Coverage, enforcement and technical gaps closed

The new measure applies to payments processed by both domestic and foreign payment intermediaries. Therefore, using a foreign processor will not guarantee bypassing the check. Previously, telecoms had 48 hours to block access to a listed domain. Payment providers had 30 days to stop processing related transactions. However, that delay allowed illegal sites to keep operating using new addresses and alternate deposit channels. Now the API check acts immediately after a domain is added to the register. Consequently, the system narrows a key loophole.

Furthermore, authorities estimate losses from offshore casino operators at several billion zloty. In practice, the approach combines domain blocks, payment stops and search engine ranking changes. As a result, Poland halved its online gambling grey market share from 58.6% in 2017 to about 29.1% in 2024.

💡 GOOD TO KNOW: If you live in Poland, remember that a Polish PESEL is the national ID number. Also, ZUS is the social insurance institution and NFZ runs public health insurance. Consequently, a Polish-language site accepting local payments does not prove legal status. Therefore, before staking money, check the Ministry of Finance list at hazard.mf.gov.pl. Meanwhile, a blocked payment indicates the domain sits in an official registry. In addition, participating in illegal gambling can lead to fines under the tax penal code. Finally, if gambling feels out of control, call the national helpline at 801 889 880 for anonymous support.

For most users, BLIK will keep working as before. Consequently, everyday retail purchases, phone-number transfers and cash withdrawals remain unaffected. However, those who attempt transactions to domains on the list will see a clear rejection. Therefore, the change sends a firm signal to both operators and customers.

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