House of Peoples of PFBiH: Delegates did not adopt amendments to the Law on Games of Chance

Delegates of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of FBiH did not accept that the amendments to the Law on Games of Chance in FBiH be adopted under an urgent procedure. The law has been returned to the regular procedure, writes Patria.

Domestic organizers of games of chance have previously warned that the amendments to this law, as proposed by the Government of FBiH, would lead to the closure of domestic betting shops, and foreign companies would take over the market. The Government, among other things, proposed that domestic betting shops pay multiple tax rates, while games on machines, which are mostly owned by foreign companies, would be taxed under a more favorable system.

The controversial government law was mostly supported by SDA delegates in the House of Peoples. HDZ delegates and delegates from opposition parties were against it or abstained.

When asked by a delegate about the financial impact of adopting the Law on Games of Chance as proposed by the Government, the Minister of Finance of FBiH, Jelka Milićević, could not provide precise figures.

Delegate Aner Žuljević stated that this is a specific law, and that the Government must consider the social aspect and the consequences caused by games of chance, not just plan how to get money into the budget at any cost, writes NAP.