Serbian Minister of Finance Siniša Mali has introduced a new bill that would increase the tax rate for online gambling from 5 percent of gross revenues to 15 percent for online bets and 10 percent for other games.
The ministry attributes the higher rate to the fact that 75 percent of turnover from betting in Serbia comes from online bets, while only 25 percent of turnover in other games is online, according to CDC Gaming Reports.
The bill also opens the door to more land-based casinos. Currently, Serbia has just two licensed casinos. Mali’s bill would allow the government to grant a maximum of 10 10-year licenses. The license fee for these casinos is set at a minimum of €500,000 (US$560,000).
The bill would restrict the locations of gaming establishments, keeping them at least 200 meters (650 feet) from schools and 100 meters from ach another. But these regulations would apply only to new sites.
“We are witnessing breaches of the rules,” said Danica Bukvic of the Socialist Party of Serbia in a debate before the National Assembly. “The fact is that children are betting and giving money to adults to pay for them to bet. Therefore, strict controls are necessary to prevent all this.”
Under the provisions of the bill, the Red Cross of Serbia will continue to receive 40 percent of government revenues collected from gambling. An earlier draft of the law removed this provision, but it was returned to the bill via an amendment.
