The New Gambling Law Favors the Croatian Lottery

The Association of Sports Betting has provided its opinion on the draft proposal regarding the announced changes to the Gambling Act.

The Ministry of Finance has published theses for the proposal of the Gambling Act on its website, which has caused considerable unrest among private sports betting companies, as many believe that the new law, if adopted, will favor the state-owned Croatian Lottery. They are particularly disturbed by the announcement of the abolition of betting on foreign lottery draws and the ban on the installation of self-service betting machines. Although it is only a draft proposal, the Association of Sports Betting decided to react.

– We do not offer betting on the Croatian lottery, only on foreign lotteries, which is also the practice in other countries. We do not organize lottery games, but offer the possibility of betting on foreign ones. The law prohibits the organization of lottery games for everyone except the Croatian Lottery, and we adhere to that – said Marina Habuš, secretary of the Association of Sports Betting. 

They are particularly concerned about the announcement of the abolition of self-service betting machines in hospitality establishments, which are increasingly found in cafes. The justification for this decision states that this type of betting is more accessible to minors and vulnerable groups in society. 

– It will not be possible to prevent vulnerable groups from using laptops and mobile phones, as well as using foreign betting companies that operate illegally in our market. It will also not be possible to prevent them from simply using other available betting locations – emphasized Habuš.
They add that if the mentioned theses are accepted, it could be interpreted as favoring one organizer in the market to the detriment of others. Last year, private betting companies had 5.6 billion kuna in deposits, while they paid out one billion kuna less to players. They also paid 300 million kuna in concession fees and taxes on deposits into the state budget, as well as a similar amount in various taxes and contributions. Out of eight betting companies in the market, five ended up with losses, yet despite this, they did not delay payments to the state budget.