The upper house of Slovenia’s Parliament has rejected a bill to open up sports betting in the country to new operators.
The country’s current regulations limit offering games of chance to two operators—the national lottery operator Loterija Slovenije and Športna Loterija for sports betting.
According to Total Slovenia News, the members of the country’s National Council—the upper house—rejected the bill saying it could jeopardize the funding of sports associations, charities and organizations of the disabled.
However, the lower house of Parliament could still pass the legislation with a two-thirds majority vote.
MP Branko Zorman, sponsor of the bill, criticized the upper house veto saying legislators were listening to opposition from the two licensed operators. Zorman said that he believes that 80 percent of Slovenians bet through unlicensed international sites that do not pay taxes in the country.
The legislation bill requires providers to obtain a license in the country and pay licensing fees.
