Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In 2011, Poles spent zł.14.3 billion on gambling. That's zł.6 billion less than in 2009, the year when stricter laws were introduced as a result of the infamous gambling scandal which rocked the Polish government, Puls Biznesu reported.

Moreover, the majority of firms in the gambling sector did worse in 2011 than in the previous year. Only Totalizator Sportowy (TS), which operates the national lottery, recorded higher sales in 2011 than in 2010. Poles spent zł.2.98 billion using the services of the state-owned giant, 10.8 percent more than in 2010.

According to Sławomir Dudziński, president of the board at TS, higher revenues were the result of price hikes introduced in 2009 and the launching of the firm's Kaskada lottery in May 2011.

Experts point out, however, that in spite of a good year, TS still had lower revenues than in 2009 and earlier years.

Poland A.M.