In September 2020 the Prague City Council voted to approve
Te new decree on the regulation of gambling will ensure the closure of the 38 gaming rooms and casinos from the territory of the regional metropolis within two years effective from April 1, 2024, while the last establishments should close by the end of 2025 at the latest.
a decree to ban all technical games in the capital. Te decree went into force on January 1 2021. Several other cities outside of Prague have already implemented similar slot gambling bans such as the city of Brno (Czech’s second-largest city) where gaming machines are banned. Te city of Jirkov also announced a ban on gambling in 2021. Te fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic Pilsen
(with about 186,000 inhabitants) has put in place a ban as well. All gambling halls and casinos should disappear within two years after a new gambling ordinance was approved by local lawmakers. Te new decree on the regulation of gambling will ensure the closure of the 38 gaming rooms and casinos from the territory of the regional metropolis within two years effective from April 1, 2024, while the last establishments should close by the end of 2025 at the latest. Explaining the reasoning behind the decision Mayor Roman
the operation of technical games within their territory. As of May 20, 2024, a total of 447 generally binding regulations regulating gambling at the municipal level were recorded. Of these, 84 came into effect from January 1, 2023. Consequently the number of slots and live games has steadily declined with many municipal governments outright banning casinos and slot parlours. In addition it is now simpler for mu- nicipalities to put in place changes. Municipalities can choose whether and in what form they want to regulate the gambling environment in their territory. Teir obligation to send the ministry the text of binding decrees restricting the operation of gambling was abolished effective from 2022. While municipalities have the right to regulate gambling
within their areas, they must ensure that their regulations adhere to the principle of proportionality. Tis means they need to con-
sider: u
Appropriateness of Restrictions: Te level of regulation should match the specific local circumstances. It shouldn’t be overly restrictive.
u
Non-Discrimination: Te regulations must treat all entities fairly and not create unfair disadvantages for certain groups or types of gambling operations.
u
Economic Competition: Te regulations should not unnecessarily harm competition within the local economy.
Zarzycký said several applications had been submitted of late which is why the local council decided to put in place a complete ban saying that local officials were fulfilling the promises they had made during the election. “We must set an example and do our best to limit gambling, despite the income to the city coffers,” he said. Te number of gambling establishments in Pilsen has been
decreasing since 2016 anyway. In 2017 the number stood at 98. Tis dropped to 28 in 2022. Tis of course reflects a nationwide trend now going back some years. In 2018 there were 548 casinos and 1,088 slot parlours. In 2023 this stood at just 358 casinos and 349 slot parlours. Tis number is likely to continue to decrease as more municipalities enact further restrictions on land based gambling establishments. Te number of slot machines also decreased significantly in
2023. Te decrease is almost ten times greater than in 2022. In 2023 the number of registered gaming machines in the Czech Republic fell by 4,807 to 24,095 devices. Te decrease was thus almost ten times higher than in 2022 according to the Report on Gambling in the Czech Republic 2024 complied by the National Monitoring Center for Drugs and Addictions. In addition municipalities will have less income from gambling
meaning that the incentive to grant licenses is less. After the approval of the so-called consolidation package, which came into force at the beginning of 2024, the state will now have a larger share of the money collected from the gambling tax than it has been until now. 55 per cent of the revenue will go to the state treasury instead of the previous 35 per cent. 22.5 per cent will remain for the municipalities according to the number of permitted gaming machines, and the same proportion will then
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