The Regional Court in Bratislava recently ruled that the ban on gambling in did not comply with the law. As a result, gaming houses in Slovakia’s capital city may continue operating. Due to the law, only 99 of the original 150 gaming houses in the city currently are open.
Not all citizens support the ruling. Bratislava Mayor Ivo said, “The wishes of 136,000 Bratislavans as well as all opponents of gambling in our city have been trampled.” Dominika Lukáčová of AZAH, the Entertainment and Games Association, added, “Even though gambling continues to be legal, there will be no Las Vegas in Bratislava.” Nesrovnal said the city will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Regional Court in Bratislava did not rule on the ban itself, but on how it was introduced. In February 2017, the first vote to ban gambling, initiated by a petition drive signed by 130,000 citizens, failed in the city council. The ban passed in a second vote on March 30, 2017 and took effect in May 2017. The Regional Court said with its ruling there will be no possibility of a repeat vote.
Lukáčová said it’s “sad the issue had to end up in court and that the city does not have sensible regulations controlling gambling.”
