Official language: Czech
Population: 10,424,926
Currency: Czech Koruna (CZK)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = 25.8469 CZK
1 GBP = 27.6155 CZK
1 USD = 17.4638 CZK

Casinos in Czech Republic
Czech Republic is home to one of the largest concentrations of casinos in Eastern and Central Europe. Ever since the mid 1990s, the gambling industry has exploded there, and today there are over 100 casinos scattered in cities all over the country. Many of the larger casinos are located in Prague, and are attached to large hotels that draw tourist crowds, though smaller casinos can be found outside of the country's capital as well.

Since 1990, when the Czech government passed the Lotteries and Other Similar Games Act, Czech casinos must be registered and licensed by the government. This imposes some regulations on how casinos operate, and the rules hold Czech casinos to a very high standard, which is especially important given the rise of tourist gambling in Czech Republic.

Online Casinos in Czech Republic
Czech online casinos are on the way. The country has plans to legalize online gambling, and will probably be giving out licenses in early 2009. The country's top five sportsbooks are already operating on the internet. One of them, called Sazka, also runs the national lottery. Sazka recently added a casino section to their website. Right now it only allows players to play for fun, but the company is anticipating the legalization of online gambling, so they want to have everything in place so that they can throw the switch when the law passes. Soon, Czech internet casinos will be able to operate legally.

Until then, Czechs who wish to play at online casinos need to turn to international casinos. Although the Czech government claims these casinos operate illegally, there is currently no way to keep players from using casinos hosted in other countries where the government has no jurisdiction. There are a few online casinos in Czech language that are aimed at a Czech audience, as well as dozens offering services in English.