Poland Having Trouble with Gambling Laws
Poland is a country that has wrestled with the issue of gambling as of late. The country has been in a lot of trouble due to politicians falling to gambling bribes and corruption. President Lech Kaczynski still gave approval at the end of November for laws restricting gaming to casinos and to remove slot machines from clubs, arcades, shops, cafes and service stations across Poland. Formerly slot machines were allowed in various business establishments and used to bring in additional funds to various businesses. Presidential Aide Wladyslaw Stasiak said that President Kaczynski requested the constitutional court of Poland to decide whether the hastily approved law was in line with the state constitution.
Under the new gaming law, slot machines are to be phased out of the business world. It is a difficult decision because it cuts back on businesses’ revenues considerably. Poland’s Liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose government supported the hard line gaming legislation, has said that it is aimed at increasing the taxes imposed on the industry and limiting and if possible, banning highly addictive examples of gaming that threatens young individuals including children. This is an argument that has come up in various jurisdictions. Many believe that the surge of slot machine gambling will put children at risk and bring more crime to the area. They believe that corruption and crime go hand in hand with gambling and ok-ing slot machines is one step away from having to deal with more troublesome problems like addiction, corruption and money laundering.
The new Polish law bans gambling for people under eighteen years old. It also introduces strict six-year state concessions for casino facilities with the limit of one facility per district with a population of up to 650,000. Casino establishments will be limited to operating seventy individual casino gaming tables and gaming machines. The law also imposes higher gaming taxes as well as new taxes for the market. Casino facilities will also have to pass all ownership changes to the ministry of finance in Poland. The new gaming law was proposed after Prime Minister Tusk was forced to get rid of several ministers and political allies over allegations of influence peddling in the cabinet regarding the gaming proposal. The state of gambling in the country is still in the planning stages, but this new law is a step in the right direction for the country.
