Municipal councillors in the Slovak capital Bratislava voted to ban gambling on December 17,2020 following a petition against gambling in the city. The new law will come into force on January 1, 2021. This is the second time a gambling ban has been introduced in Slovakia, with the first attempt lasting less than two years, from 1 May 2017 to 28 December 2018.

The new law does not mean Bratislava’s gambling venues will close immediately, but once companies’ gambling licenses expire between 2023 and 2024 they will not be renewed. Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo hopes the new law will bring positive changes to the city, but casino and gaming venues operators believe that the new law will achieve very little.

Róbert Vystavil, a casino operator in the city, said the current legislation is sufficient, that “blanket bans” will not solve anything, and that the current government has done little to combat illegal gambling. The gambling industry also generates significant revenue for the city. At the end of 2019 there were 89 gaming venues, two bingo halls and six casinos in the city, generating 2.76 million euros(about 3.36 million) in contributions. Other Slovakian cities are also trying to introduce their own laws to ban gambling, with Nitra having tried this in 2019, but failing to produce any meaningful legislation up to now. (2020/12/29)