Bosnia politicians call for better gaming regulation

Bosnia has no effective gambling law, despite having the highest registered number of betting shops per resident in Europe.

Bosnia current gaming legislation also has been claimed unsatisfactory when it comes to preventing the gambling addiction and the establishment of programs to treat people who suffer from it, which is becoming more common in Bosnia.”We aren’t satisfied by the current regulation,” said Nermana Mehic-Basara, a neuropsychiatrist and director the Public Institute for Addiction Diseases in Sarajevo.

“

“

Given that Bosnia’s population is around 3.8 million, it means the country has one betting shop for every 1,000 persons

 

”

Denis Gratz, president of the civic Our Party and member of the House of Representatives in the Federation, told BIRN that taxes on gaming should rise. “Betting shops in the Federation pay no tax on wins under €50,” Gratz said, adding that this should change. He also said the law should increase the minimum distance between schools and betting points, which is currently only 100 meters.

Reform of gaming legislation is needed also because betting is becoming one of the most popular activities in the country, as Bosnia is the European country with the highest number of registered betting shops per resident.

In Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, 15 companies operate 756 betting shops; while in the Federation 13 companies operate 2,443 shops, television N1 reported. Given that Bosnia’s population is around 3.8 million, it means the country has one betting shop for every 1,000 persons.