Slovakia to Relax Online Gambling Restrictions

When it comes to online gambling laws, Slovakia is one of the strictest countries in Europe – but this may not be the case for long. Recently, lawmakers in the country have presented a new legislation that would make online casino games legal, allowing Slovakian players to gamble online.

Could Be Open Next Year

The law would open up Slovakia’s online gambling market to private operators. It would replace the existing legislation, which was passed in 2005, and permit local residents to play casino games from their mobile phones and desktop computer as soon as 2019.

At the moment, all online gaming activities are run through the national lottery, TIPOS. Now that the country is looking at legalising online gambling, other private operators will be allowed to offer their services to players, creating a more diverse market and providing players with a wide range of online gaming activities.

This is a significant change in Slovakia, as the country has a history of cracking down on online gambling. In 2017, over 200 gambling domains were blacklisted, which led residents to believe that online gambling legislation would never be on the table. However, it seems that some minds have been changed, and online casinos will soon be allowed to operate within Slovakia.

The new law is aimed at keeping players safe when they gamble online. According to Peter Papanek, head of the Association of Betting Companies of the Slovak Republic, the main way to deal with tax evasion and player protection is to liberalise the market in order to propose set fair conditions. He notes that the countries that have legalised online gambling have been able to significantly reduce black market operations.

Taking A Que from Other European Countries

While Slovakia has a reputation for being opposed to online gambling, the country’s lawmakers could ignore the success that other European countries have experienced. Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom have all opened up their online gambling markets and permitted its residents to play at online casinos and online poker sites, as well as placing wagers on sports matches.

All of the countries that have legalised online gambling so far have benefitted significantly. Not only have they increased their tax revenue but also seen an increase in job creation. There are certainly plenty of success stories in the online casino world, and Slovakia is about to becoming one of them.