Slovenia to review gambling regulations
The Ministry of Finance says it will make “systemic changes”.
Slovenia.- The Ministry of Finance of Slovenia has announced that it will review gambling legislation with a view to make “more systemic changes”. The review will include an evaluation of responsible gambling requirements and of how concessions are granted.
The ministry said it intends to contract an independent consultant to analyse the sector and draft proposals. It says it will consider the regulatory approaches of other European Union states as well as EU Court of Justice case law. Proposals will be put to a public consultation.
It said: “Games of chance can, on the one hand, have a significant impact on economic and tourism development. On the other hand, it can affect society in a way that is not typical of other economic activities.
“As such, we have decided to consider updating the current legal framework for games of chance in order to enable a long-term sustainable and internationally competitive offering that complements Slovenia’s tourist offer, will adequately address domestic demand and will minimise the risks of problem gambling.”
Last year, amendments proposed to Slovenia’s Gaming Act aimed to liberalise the gaming market by scrapping most curbs on casino ownership and employee licensing and allowing five lottery organisers rather than two.
International operators have been showing increased interest in Slovenia and the wider Balkans market. Last month, Flutter Entertainment announced the acquisition of a 51 per cent stake in Serbia’s MaxBet for €141m. It will have the option to buy the remaining 49 per cent of MaxBet in 2029.
Its rival Entain is focusing on the region with its Entain CEE joint venture. Last year, Entain CEE bought Croatia’s SuperSport, but it has withdrawn a bid for Slovenia’s Športna Loterija.
