The Polish Parliament Working on Slots Laws
The Polish Parliament just approved a new bill that restricts gaming at casinos in the country. The gaming bill’s approval is fast on the heels of a public scandal involving politicians that was referred to at “Blackjack-gate.” It involved the cabinet members of Prime Minister Tusk. Prior to the scandal, Prime Minister Tusk began pushing aggressively for the approval of strict legislation regarding the gaming industry in Poland. In a vote of 48 to 3, the bill passed.
Part of the reason Tusk pushed the bill so quickly was to save political face after four of his cabinet members were embroiled in the scandal. Politicians were taking kickbacks from various casinos in the country. Tusk is making no moves to close down casinos, but rather to regulate them better. Like most political leaders, Tusk knows how lucrative slot machine gambling can be. He is aware of how many millions of dollars can be brought into the country via a good slots and gambling legislation. That is why this issue has been a priority for the cabinet since the former scandal.
Prior to acceptance of the bill, President Kaczynski needs to offer approval. Prime Minister Tuck is relatively secure that the President will support the new legislation “barring any new changes.” He is hoping that the President will sign the bill into enactment prior to the end of 2010. In the new legislation slot machines will only be permitted in official casino facilities. That means that they will need to be removed from bars, pubs, cafes, shopping malls and service stations. There are an estimated 50,000 machines currently running in these facilities and they will need to be removed. In addition, anyone under 18 will not be allowed to gamble and online gambling is no longer allowed at all.
Poland is working hard to change its current laws and to save face. It’s difficult to recover from a scandal, but the country is well on its way to change. Tusk is hoping the new legislation goes through without incident and helps to monitor and regulate gaming. The strict move to only allow slot machines at casino-facilities is an added move to regulate and watch over any illegal or unscrupulous activities.
