Polish president signs restrictive gambling law

Poland’s president Lech Kaczynski has signed into Polish law the restrictive measures confining gambling to casinos and phasing out slot machines in gaming arcades, cafes, clubs, shops and service stations, reports Agence France Presse.
But whilst doing so, Kaczynski requested Poland’s constitutional court to rule whether the hastily adopted law was “in line with the constitution” presidential aide Wladyslaw Stasiak revealed Friday. The law followed a political corruption scandal in which government figures were named.
The country’s liberal prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the tough law was aimed at increasing taxation of the sector and at “limiting and if possible, rooting out” highly addictive forms of gambling threatening young people under the age of eighteen. It also introduces higher taxes and strict new six-year state concessions for casinos with the limit of one per district with a population of up to 650 000. Casinos will be limited to operating 70 individual gaming tables and machines.
Poland’s parliament approved the law in October, nearly a month and a half after Tusk was forced to sack several key ministers and political allies over allegations of influence peddling within his cabinet regarding gambling legislation.
It is understood that further measures specifically addressing the online gambling sector are currently nearing completion and will be submitted soon.

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