The city assembly of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, voted last week to ban gaming clubs that offer video lottery terminals from the city.
The mayor of Prague, Adriana Krná?ová had asked the lawmakers just to reduce the number of locations offering slot machines, but the councilors got the bit in their teeth and went all the way.
The “ban” doesn’t affect government-designated “casinos” but does affect over 200 of the so-called “gaming clubs.”
The mayor made the proposal to rid the city of “dirty venues” and to fight “a number of sociological and pathological phenomena,” according to CalvinAyre.
Gaming operators say they plan to fight the ban in the courts, arguing that they are legal establishments. Association of Gaming Operators executive director Petr Vrzá? told a radio audience that the mayor’s proposal had been “ration, but it was swept aside in a populistic move.”
He predicted that if the ban stands that gamblers will pursue their interests underground, which will benefit organized crime. The city of Prague would also los about $11 million a year in taxes, he said.
