The Czech financial authority has prevented tax evasion worth CZK 540 million in the gambling sector, after its specialised unit detected irregularities in the financial flows of casinos, and uncovered additional taxes unpaid by gambling operators from 2021 and 2022. The authority announced the news in a press release today.
The office discovered the tax evasion through the analysis of gaming data, which revealed illicit behaviour by the players and suspicious financial flows.
The financial authority found irregularities during an audit of the gambling operators, based on which they calculated a tax of CZK 340 million. The audit also uncovered shortcomings in the reporting of fees and commissions, leading to an additional tax liability of CZK 200 million.
“Gambling is a specific industry with high tax revenues, so it is important for us to minimise the space for illegal practices through our systemic activity,” said Otakar Sladkovsky, head of the Specialised Tax Office. “This success shows that our efforts have a real impact on the fairness of the market and tax collection.”
Gambling tax is one of the less significant tax revenues for the state. Last year, it generated CZK 20.6 billion in gambling tax, up 12.5% year-on-year. Of this, CZK 14.2 billion went to the state budget, the rest to local budgets. The total tax collection, excluding compulsory insurance payments, was CZK 1,420 billion.
