The government of Kosovo shut down all the country’s gaming halls on March 22 and has banned gambling for 10 years following the murders of two casino workers in separate robberies, reported the Balkan Insight.
An extraordinary parliamentary session was called by the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, whose leader in parliament, Avdullah Hoti, proposed the motion.
“The first point is for the government to initiate legal procedures to suspend the law allowing gambling and bring in a law banning games of chance within 30 days,” Hoti said. The resolution was backed by 74 MPs and supported by all political parties in the chamber.
The first victim, killed March 17, worked in a gaming hall in Suhareka/Suva Reka; a police officer arrested after the murder has been named as a suspect. The second victim, killed March 20, worked in a center in Lipjan/Lipljan; no arrests have yet been announced in that case.
Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj supports the shutdown. “The government and security mechanisms are already mobilized to react and prevent further degradation of the situation,” he said in a Facebook post.
The speaker of parliament, Kadri Veseli, pledged that authorities “will not allow Kosovo to be a center of organized crime and illegal activities.”
In the aftermath of the crimes, Reuters reported that customs officials raided dozens of gambling shops, found that many were operating illegally, and confiscated more than 100 slot machines. Only a state-run lottery will be remain, Haradinaj said during a government session on March 26.
“It is total chaos, a total abuse and it is good that we are stopping this,” Haradinaj said at a press conference. The ban proposal will now be sent to parliament for approval.
Meanwhile, the Gambling Association of Kosovo reports that it employs 4,000 workers, many of whom could apparently lose their jobs. Ruzhdi Kosumi, owner of 14 gambling shops, said he will be forced to let go 40 employees. “The decision to close us was taken after two of our workers were killed,” he said. “This is nonsense. We lost people and now we are losing our jobs.”
Reuters reports that one-third of the population of Kosovo is unemployed, and the country, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, is rife with political instability, crime and corruption.
In 2018, the government reaped €16 million (US$18 million) from gaming.
