Gambling faces new restrictions in Bratislava

An outright ban of gambling is also currently in the works

Local authorities in Bratislava are moving ahead with brand new restrictions on gambling in the Slovak capital. Changes to the National Gambling Act which came into force earlier this year has allowed municipalities to take action against the dangerous vice.

The latest restrictions, as adopted by the City Council are as follows:

• Gambling halls can no longer operate within 200 meters of schools or other educational facilities, institutions servicing children and youth and treatment centres for non-substance addictions.
• Gambling halls can no longer be opened within 200 meters of each other

These new and heavily restrictive regulations are set to come into force in mid-November. Another batch of restrictions are scheduled for January 2020:

• Bingo, board games, gambling machines, video game terminals, technical equipment operated directly by players, or other technical equipment used for gambling will be completely banned from use on certain dates – most notably during national holidays.

The local government wants to reassure business owners who are currently operating that these new restrictions will start applying to them only once their respective Gambling Licenses have expired and are scheduled to be renewed.

Thinking ahead towards the future

The local government is not done yet, however. Currently, a petition for a complete ban on gambling in Bratislava is underway and it has already gathered over 100,000 signatures. In September, Matúš Vallo, mayor of the Slovak capital announced the creation of a new working group that will be communicating with citizens and civil association and trying to answer their concerns.

Another issue to take note of is the potential revenue loss when Gambling Licenses start getting rejected in the next couple of years. Members of the city council expect income to start dropping at some point in late 2020.