Now the draft bill has been submitted there will be a three-month period of standstill as the Commission examines whether it is lawful.
The new law is a significant change for Slovakia, which has black-listed more than 200 gambling domains since a previous bill was passed in 2016. Currently, online casino and poker activity remains the sole responsibility of the state-owned TIPOS national lottery.
"The state began blocking illegal companies. But that was only the first step. Now comes the second, clear rules for everyone - anyone who wants to offer online casino games will be able to do so if they meet the prescribed conditions," said Peter Papanek, head of the Association of Betting Companies of the Slovak Republic, according to Sport Aktuality.
"Experience from abroad shows that, if the state wants to intervene against tax evasion and illegal gambling, it must go through the liberalisation of the market and the setting of fair conditions, inter alia, to motivate operators to operate legally.
In its submission, Slovakia’s Ministry of Finance, which will have responsibility for gambling, said it wants to “relax restrictions on access to the internet gambling market”. Companies with a base in Slovakia or another EU state are able to apply for a licence.
A new Regulatory Office for Gambling is proposed in order to centralise activities in the gambling sector. With the exception of legislation, the office's scope would cover all activities related to the gambling sector, in particular licensing, supervision, imposing sanctions and the administration of fees.
Online operators would pay a 23% tax rate under the new regime, with various operational charges. The Ministry explained that operators would need to provide the newly created regulatory authority with access to a server so that it can have oversight of data.
Source: GMB / iGaming Business
