Slovenia Suffers Significant Setback to Regulation
Published April 18, 2018 by Lee R
A Parliamentary vote has relegated an optimistic iGaming proposal in Slovenia.
Slovenia is having trouble getting their regulation off the ground.
Lead Balloon
The latest stall comes in the form of the failure of a government-introduced regulation proposal to pass Parliament.
No Reform
This is a considerable setback as policymakers have been working on provisions for the first digital gambling framework since 2017 to revamp currently prevailing 1995 industry laws.
An approval of the bill would have paved the way for the government to introduce a new licensing system for sports betting and casino services online.
Bad Vote
Alas the bill was rejected by a tally of 18-12 by Slovenia’s upper house National Council Commission for Economy, Crafts, Tourism & Finance.
The bill is not dead, but sentenced to process, going back to the National Assembly where a two-thirds vote will be required to win the house’s approval for resubmission to the Parliament.
Slovenia’s iGaming Advocate
The main proponent of Slovenia’s online gambling bill is MP Branko Zorman, who stands on the platform that the country’s 1995 laws need to be adapted to consumer habits in the digital age and specifically the rising demand for digital betting services.
Zorman initially presented the bill in January 2017 as a result of his estimate that 85% of revenue generated by Slovenian sports betting was flowing out of the country to unregulated foreign operators.
Citizens Play Unregulated
The rejection compounds current concerns regarding the present state of affairs in Slovenia, because it means citizens with digital proclivities will merely resort to using the unregulated sites for sports betting and online gaming--sites that provide no protection to the users whatsoever.
Vulnerability Alert
This means that users are vulnerable to unregulated companies stealing their funds
This is more than a financial issue for the government, but a vulnerability issue for its citizens, who would be far better off playing on regulated sites that taking the added risks of unprotected play.
And a Monopoly...
At present, the sports betting market in Slovenia is dominated by Sportna Loterija. The passage of the online gambling bill would have opened the market entry from other companies, so there is a monopoly issue to be resolved in Slovenia as well.
Slovenia Stand By
Unfortunately, the last vote has indicated that government revenues, citizen protections, and a free market are on indefinite delay, with a new approval being required just to get back to this square.
