One of the tiniest countries in Europe, the principality of Liechtenstein, will vote on a referendum January 29 that would ban casinos. The country hosts six, all of which sprang up after a change in the law paved the way for them in 2017.
Liechtenstein has a population of 40,000 and would comfortably fit within the city limits of London or Paris, so any proposed change to business could have an outsized effect on an economy that is largely based on tourism, especially the Alps, scenic castles and now, gambling.
However, some political leaders don’t like for the principality to have that kind of reputation. A group called IG VolksMeinung formed with the express purpose to combat the “casino flood,” according to Reuters.
One of the organization’s founders, Guido Meier, declared, “We don’t want to establish ourselves as a casino and poker hotspot in the middle of Europe.” He added, ”It’s a big reputation problem.”
Existing casinos would have five years to lock up if the referendum is approved.
The company that owns majority interest in three of the casinos in the country is Gryphon Invest AG, which released a statement to Reuters: “We hope that the voters will follow the advice of the two major parties, as well as the economic chamber and further institutions and recognize that a well-regulated market is better than an outright ban.”
Reinhard Fischer, director of the Grand Casino and president of Liechtenstein’s casino association, told Reuters, “What we do is in accordance with the law and in some cases even above the level required by law.”
