Slovak regulator partners with university to protect vulnerable groups
Slovakia’s gambling regulator ÚRHH has signed a cooperation memorandum with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. The agreement connects gambling regulation with the training of future social workers and psychologists, the professionals who work directly with vulnerable groups and the consequences of gambling addiction in real life.
From 1 January 2026, ÚRHH became the main supervisory authority for consumer protection in gambling, and from 1 February, a dedicated internal department began operating for this area. In an exclusive SiGMA News interview, ÚRHH Director General Libuša Baranová said the regulator will pay closer attention to unfair commercial practices, advertising, the protection of Generation Z, and preparing for a digital market by 2030.
How the partnership will be implemented
In the cooperation announcement published on the university website, ÚRHH said it is continuing its social responsibility strategy. The regulator previously signed an agreement with the Faculty of Education at Trnava University and is now adding specialists who will work with the social and psychological aspects of gambling.
The memorandum is designed to connect regulatory practice with academic training. Students will gain access to lectures and workshops on gambling regulation, addiction prevention, responsible gambling participation, and new digital gambling formats.
Baranová stressed that a safe market is not possible without understanding social processes.
“Psychologists and social workers are on the front line. They see the problem in the context of family and society. I believe the synergy of our experience and the university’s scientific base will become an effective protection tool and will help future specialists identify the risks the digital era brings.”
Libuša Baranová, Director General of ÚRHH
The partnership also includes expert consultations on theses, participation in academic conferences, and joint analysis of social trends linked to gambling.
The practical value of the partnership
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care, Professor Tomáš Sollar, said the university will be able to train specialists who are genuinely needed by part of Slovakia’s population.
“Supporting people who find themselves in difficult life situations is our priority. This partnership strengthens the link between theory and practice, enabling us to prepare professionals who can genuinely protect those who need it.”
Professor Tomáš Sollar, Constantine the Philosopher University
For Slovakia’s market, the message is that player protection is no longer only about licences, audits, and sanctions. Prevention is moving to the centre, working with people who may face addiction, debt, family problems, and other risks, including those linked to illegal gambling.
Slovakia’s online market is growing
The country’s legal gambling market has shown steady growth for several consecutive years. According to ÚRHH, in 2024, total stakes in Slovakia reached €24.2 billion, and player spend rose to €1.45 billion, up 9.6% year on year. Online casinos recorded particularly sharp growth, with segment revenue rising 30% to €476 million.
Blask data also points to strong momentum. Blask Index, a metric that describes market interest and attention volume in Slovakia’s iGaming market, has increased by more than 3.5 times from April 2016 to April 2026.
Over the same period, CEB (Competitive Earning Baseline), a benchmark for the potential revenue of all brands in the country, increased 18-fold.
The illegal market remains a risk
When the digital segment grows faster than the traditional one, harm prevention becomes a task that extends beyond traditional land-based oversight. Risks shift online, with aggressive advertising, instant access to gambling products, and large numbers of unlicensed sites acting as triggers for problem behaviour.
According to the Institute for Gambling Regulation in Slovakia (IPRHH), nearly 24% of players use unlicensed sites. A similarly large share of people cannot distinguish legal from illegal platforms, and 13% of users of prohibited platforms are included in the register of persons banned from gambling.
Minors are also also considered an at-risk group. A survey by IPSOS found that more than one-third of Slovaks aged 15 to 17 had encountered illegal gambling online. Blask data also indicates that a significant share of gambling activity in Slovakia comes from people under 24.
Prevention becomes part of regulation
ÚRHH’s partnerships with universities show that the regulator is expanding player-protection tools beyond traditional supervision. As the market grows, the online segment strengthens, and unlicensed platforms remain accessible and attractive, website blocking alone is no longer sufficient.
The new model focuses on early risk detection. Psychologists and social workers often see the consequences of gambling earlier than they appear in operator reports or enter the regulator’s field of view. For ÚRHH, the approach connects regulation with real social practice, recognising that gambling harm must be identified earlier within families, communities, education settings, and professional support systems.
This article was first published in Russian on 11 May 2026.
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