Poland Reworking Laws Regarding Slots and Gambling
Poland has been through a lot when it comes to slots gambling. Prime Minister Donald Tusk cleaned house recently in an effort to move forward from the gambling scandal that took over the country. Three high-ranking government officials submitted their resignation and Tusk dismissed the head of the anticorruption agency along with them. The anticorruption investigation, with a code name of Operation Blackjack, has been in the headlines for quite a while this past year. The Central Anticorruption Bureau alleged that public officials were using their influence to reduce the burden of new gambling taxes on casinos in the country. The scandal was a huge setback for the Prime Minister because he is poised on running for president next year against Lech Kaczynski. Mr. Tusk said, “Recent events related to the gambling act raise justified doubts among Poles. For the government to work in an atmosphere of trust and impartiality, my colleagues and I want to do everything to convince Poles, but also our opponents, about our impartiality.”
Tusk is working hard to sort out the issue within the country. Under the new gaming law, slot machines and other small-wagering machines will be systematically phased out of the industry. The Prime Minister is looking to increase the taxes imposed on the industry and “banning highly addictive examples of gaming that threaten young individuals and children.” The law will ban gambling for people under 18 years of age and it will introduce a six-year state concessions for casino facilities with the limit of one facility per district with a maximum population of up to 650,000. Each casino will be limited also to just 70 individual casino gaming tables and machines combined.
The new law also institutes a higher gaming tax and introduces new taxes to the market. Casinos will have to pass all ownership changes to the ministry of finance in the country. The new gaming law was proposed after the aforementioned scandal wreaked havoc on the country due to sullying the name of the government and the Prime Minister. He moved quickly to get rid of the offenders, but new polls have shown that he has lost some voter loyalty as a result.
