Gambling is very widespread in the countries of the region, billions of euros are (illegally) turned over annually, and the treatment of those addicted to gambling has become a common phenomenon.
In the Public Institution for Accommodation, Rehabilitation and Resocialization of Users of Psychoactive Substances "Kakaricka Gora", which also deals with other forms of addiction, since 2020 there have been 40 clients undergoing treatment for gambling addiction.
In the first year - 2020, they had five patients with registered gambling addiction. That number gradually grew, so that last year there were 11, and now 10 are undergoing treatment.
According to unofficial data from the association of organizers of games of chance, there are about 100 thousand accounts for online betting. They also say that the same person can have several accounts with different bookmakers, but also that he has accounts opened by foreigners. A rough estimate is that 15 to 20 percent of adults participate more often or occasionally in some form of games of chance.
The Ministry of Finance has started preparations for the drafting of a new law on games of chance, where it has invited organizers' associations to give their suggestions. A significant part of the new law will refer to the prevention of gambling addiction.
The government also formed the Coordinating Body for the Protection and Promotion of Public Interest in the Field of Games of Chance, of which the director of the institution "Kakaricka gora" is a member. Marko Čađenović. Its members will also participate in the preparation of the future law.
"When it comes to the future law, we are of the opinion that the distance of gambling facilities from educational institutions should be regulated, penalties for disobeying the ban on gambling by minors should be increased. Also, we believe that the way of advertising should be changed. It is not enough to just write in fine print that gambling can cause addiction and that playing games of chance is prohibited for people under the age of 18, but advertising should be avoided at the time of shows that are watched by young people," informed "Vijesti" from this institution. , stating that it is necessary to better design preventions and controls for online betting, which they consider to be more risky.
Since July 2020, this public institution has cooperated with the Association of Organizers of Games of Chance "Montenegro Bet", with which they then signed an agreement on the implementation of an employee education project entitled "Let the game remain a game - prevention of pathological gambling".
"The expert team of the Public Institution conducted expert lectures on the topic of addiction, recognition of pathological gambling and an adequate approach in providing adequate information to the employees of the organizer", they stated from this institution.
Their position is that as a relevant institution that deals with gambling issues, they should be involved in all activities related to this topic.
"It is necessary to educate the public even more about the dangers of gambling both for the individual and for the whole society", according to this institution.
Serbia is the second in Europe in the number of casinos
According to the data of the Association of Organizers of Games of Chance, there are 2.900 sports betting shops in Serbia, which is three times more observed per capita than in Italy, five times more than in Great Britain, or even six times more than in Spain.
This puts Serbia in second place in Europe in terms of the number of casinos and bookmakers per capita.
Recently, she is the president of the Belgrade committee of the Freedom and Justice Party Mila Popovic stated that there are 1.440 betting shops in Belgrade, and that many of them are in the immediate vicinity of schools, which is against the law.
On the Green Ring in Belgrade, for example, there are five betting shops in a row, although the Law on Games of Chance stipulates that they must be at a distance of at least 100 meters, and when you walk through any major city in Serbia, the shops along the streets are dominated by betting shops and casinos.
Jelena Manojlović, a psychotherapist from the SOS Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Pathological Gambling, claims that the number of betting shops in Serbia is significantly higher than the number stated by the Association of Games of Chance Organizers and that it amounts to about six and a half thousand, but, as he says, there are no official statistics on the number pathological gamblers in Serbia.
"This data is based on the average of the World Health Organization, according to which 0,5 to 1,5 percent of the population of a country has a problem with gambling, considering that we have about six and a half thousand betting shops and 3.500 elementary and secondary schools, we can talk about this how big is the gambling problem in Serbia", says Manojlović.
So, if we take into account this average of the World Health Organization, there are about 100.000 people addicted to gambling in Serbia.
"Online betting is also very popular now, and at almost all newsagents in Serbia you can top up your order on one of the betting sites," says Manojlović.
She adds that advertisements for bookmakers in Serbia are designed to attract new gamblers, so we have welcome bonuses and free "spins" for "beginners".
"There are commercials for betting shops all around us, not only on sports channels, literally in the middle of the movie you have a commercial for a betting shop, and everything is presented as nice and great and that there is a good atmosphere and a great team in the betting shops", says Manojlović.
From her professional experience, which she says has been going on for 17 years, children in Serbia start gambling already in the period between the seventh grade and the first year of high school.
According to the provisions of the Law on Games of Chance, the distance of a betting shop or casino from educational institutions must not be less than 200 meters. In many places this provision is violated.
"Even though by law gambling is only allowed to adults, that law is not enforced well enough, or children simply trick someone older into paying them a ticket or steal their parents' ID cards and open online accounts," says Manojlović.
He emphasizes that it is very important for people to understand that gambling is a family addiction that "takes its toll" not only on the gambler but also on his entire family.
"Unfortunately, gambling is still not recognized as an adequate addiction disease in Serbia, people generally do not recognize that it is an addiction problem, but only after the second or third green debt do they realize it and then seek help," explains Manojlović.
Economist Bozo Draskovic states that so many betting shops in Serbia require investments of over 70 million euros for arranging the space, plus for the lease, which he estimated at around eight million euros per year.
"If they employ at least three workers per betting shop - that's an annual expenditure of another 40 million euros. Without any other costs, this is an expenditure of around 150 million euros per year for bookmakers in Serbia. If new ones are constantly sprouting, it means that it is a very profitable business that brings profit", says Drašković.
On the other hand, the social aspect of this, he explains, is that people expect to make money from gambling. At all bookmakers, the risk of someone winning cannot be higher than ten percent.
"The point is that the state allows it, especially near schools. It encourages a culture of gambling, which is socially unacceptable. Not everything is acceptable even though it has a market justification. The state would have to regulate and tax bookmakers more in order to reduce their number. For example, that it taxes turnover, not profit", concludes Drašković.
Everyone plays, but not everyone wins
No business in Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced such a dizzying rise after the war as, as we call them, games of chance, and more precisely gambling.
Recent socio-psychological research has shown that mainly stress, poverty and unemployment are the main reasons why someone tries to find a way out, that is, to seemingly escape from the situation he is in or to get rich overnight.
And the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina seem to be for those reasons - under stress, poor and unemployed - every year they spend millions in betting shops, following the matchmaking rule - every game, everyone wins. Therefore, it is not surprising that the total turnover of all sports betting shops in the Federation of BiH, according to official data, in 2023 was astonishing - 1.721.693.504 KM (more than 850 million euros), and the total payout of winnings was about 1,5 billion.
It is also interesting that around 1,25 billion was related to gains below one hundred marks, on which no tax is paid, and only around 250 million was taxed. Thus, according to the data of the Tax Administration of FBiH, the profit tax amounted to about 25 million KM.
When you look at all these figures and compare them to the state budget, which amounted to 1,7 billion, it is clear that millions are (illegally) circulating there and that this is a golden coke. That is why it is not surprising that the federal government, especially the HDZ BiH, has for years not wanted the Law on Games of Chance to be amended, refusing to tax all betting and gambling winnings, even though the FBiH Tax Administration emphasized this on several occasions. Their proposal is that all winnings be taxed with income tax at a rate of 10 percent, which is the same as the income tax of all employees, and that all games of chance be taxed equally. But it didn't go through.
And a former representative in the Federal Parliament Ramiz Mesha at one time asked for amendments to the law, precisely in order to bring the earnings from this business under control and to include bookmakers in the fight against addiction. But none of that... And Meša also demanded compliance with the existing law, which states that betting facilities must be at least 100 meters from religious, educational and cultural facilities.
"When I was more actively involved in this issue, a survey was made in USK to see how many facilities do not meet this legal obligation. There were 231 objects by letter and number. It is interesting that 231 sales facilities were registered in USK. So, no facility fulfills this legal obligation", he said and underlined once again that an adequate law is very necessary.
"Unfortunately, there is no political will. Basically, we don't need to invent hot water, but just apply positive experiences from other neighboring countries. I think that it would bring much greater effects, both financial and socioeconomic, in the sense that if we became a society where generations from 7 to 77 bet, so at least in some way, bookmakers get involved in the fight against addiction," he points out.
On the other hand, smaller BH. the entity, at least according to the report of the Republic Administration for Games of Chance, is proud of the fact that the legal provisions adopted in 2019 enabled a significant increase in discipline in the application of regulations by the organizers of games of chance in the RS.
"The Law on Games of Chance provided a much more advanced system of control over the work and business of organizers of games of chance, first of all by introducing complete online control of the organizer's business, through a computer system, which prevents any kind of fraud," said the Administration.
Thanks to that, the total income from fees for organizing games of chance, prize and entertainment games and tax on winnings in the Republic of Srpska in 2023 amounted to 124.171.150 KM, which is 32 percent more than in 2022.
22,3 million in the box office last year, this year they expect 35
Last year, the Montenegrin state budget received 22,3 million euros from concessions for games of chance, and since the beginning of this year, amendments to the part of the law that increased the fees and should increase the final amount to the expected 35 million came into force.
According to data from last year, 18 organizers were registered for betting games, and the total number of betting places was exactly one thousand.
25 organizers who had 153 slot clubs were registered for slot machines and electronic roulette games.
Two organizers had a total of three casinos, while online games of chance were organized by 13 organizers.
Organizers of games of chance have a total of about three thousand employees.
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