Complete Gambling ban in Bratislava?

On the 1st. January a nationwide ban on gambling came into force in the Slovakian Capital Bratislava. This was decided on by the town council a few weeks ago. At first the existing casinos may remain open until their licences gradually expire. But that will a European Metropole look like without gambling facilities?

And does not such a restrictive decision present the risk that people will seek to gamble on the illegal market? This is something that would be unthinkable in Germany and many other European countries, but it has now been officially decided on by the town council in Bratislava. The complete ban on gambling has been agreed on with a large majority in the Slovakian Capital. However this does not mean that all casinos must close when the law comes into force on the 1st of. January 2021. Current licences will remain valid until they expire.

Only one vote against the gambling ban

Surprising in this vote was, that 39 from 40 voters were in favour and voted for a complete gambling ban. Only one voter was against the proposed complete ban. A petition by a citizens’ action group to ban all gambling was signed by 73,434 inhabitants of Bratislava and it led the way to this ban. This is equivalent to one in every sixth inhabitant of the Slovakian Capital.

In 2018 there had been an initiative by the citizens to completely ban gambling. Afterwards the local authorities had tightened the gambling guidelines. Associated therewith is the decision that no more casinos will be permitted within 200m of education establishments and rehabilitation centres for addicts. This area ban is also valid for schools since November 2019. Now there is also a complete ban on gambling.

Existing Casinos will still be tolerated

The existing Casinos in the city however must not close immediately upon introduction of this law. They may remain open till their casino licence expires. Obviously no more new licenses will be issued with immediate effect. This was reported among others in the local newspaper “The Slovak Spectator“. The majority of the existing licences will expire in the years 2023 and 2024. Till then the existing casinos and gambling halls may remain open as usual.

According to our research, there are actually around 90 casinos in Bratislava. Besides these there are two bingo halls and six Casinos. In the past gambling had already been banned for a period of two years.

Gambling industry is furious

Representatives of the Slovakian casino industry were furious about this decision of the authorities. They are afraid, that it will draw away the majority of the gamblers to the unregulated market. A spokesperson for the Federation for Entertainment, Dominika Lukacova shares the same view. She expresses concern about the future and fears more criminality:

“The only novelty is the invitation to criminal groups, illegal gambling operations, these were today published officially by the city council of Bratislava.”

As expected, the action group welcomed the gambling ban and praised the authorities for not having reacted to the concerns of the casino-operators. The latter requested that a concession is at least made for gambling facilities in Hotels. But even here no compromise was reached, so that the complete ban will still be valid. It is however to be noted, that this ban refers only to the Slovakian Capital Bratislava. Gambling is for now still permitted in other cities and regions in the country.

It is actually questionable if the consistent approach of the authorities will be successful in the long term. Eventually it is highly likely that the gamblers will find another way to take part in gambling. Besides the illegal local Black Market, which will very likely emerge, the gamblers could obviously move to the several online casinos. Here, it is of course more difficult for the authorities to monitor.

Conclusion

The now passed ban on gambling in Bratislava is not a real surprise anymore after the last months and years. Impressive is however the large majority (39 from 40 votes), which voted for a ban on gambling in the Slovakian Capital. However it will take some years till the last casino licence expires. We cannot wait to see how the Black Market in Bratislava will develop and if, as forecasted by the casino industry, accordingly there will be more illegal gambling on offer. The authorities in Bratislava have the possibility to create and maintain a regulated and safe gambling market for gamblers.

Picture Source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/bratislava-slowakei-1905408/