Krešo Vukoja: The state must ban operations of betting shops that do not pay taxes

Krešo Vukoja, director of the 'Premijer' sports betting shops, is asking the Federal government to ban operations of betting shops that do not pay taxes to the state and do not comply with other obligations from the Law on Games of Chance.

Vukoja told Patria in a comment that there are betting shops in the Federation that do not regularly fulfill their obligations to the state, and that legal operators of games of chance are asking for such operators to be banned from operating.

- We are asking for a system to be introduced that will, by force of law, revoke operating licenses for those betting shops that do not fulfill their tax obligations under the Law on Games of Chance – says Vukoja. He reminded that legal operators of games of chance pay tens of millions of convertible marks into the public budget annually, solely on the basis of taxes, and that the state owes them support in dealing with illegal competition, which threatens the operations of legal operators.

According to data from the Tax Administration of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, private operators of games of chance in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina paid a total of 30.9 million KM in fees and taxes in the first 11 months of this year. Operators explain that the data from the Tax Administration best confirms that the claims of certain members of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, who accused private betting shops of not paying taxes, were untrue.

- There is a black market in the Federation of BiH when it comes to games of chance. This black market harms all domestic operators of games, including the state-owned Lutrija BiH – said Vukoja.

- It is in all of our interests to bring this black market under control – adds Vukoja. He also believes that operators who do not fulfill their obligations under the Law on Games of Chance should be prosecuted under the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, "meaning, for non-compliance with the Law, they should go to prison, not just pay minor fines."