Betting: Due to threats and attacks, a Bosniak closed his betting shops in his hometown

Relations between SDA and HDZ have become tense due to differing views about taxation and lottery games legislation. SDA proposal is that taxes are paid in the place – municipality of the canton where the betting shop is situated, while HDZ BiH want taxes to be paid at the central offices of betting shops which are mainly situated in Hercegovina.

Owners of betting shops will this year see profits of app. 1 billion KM. Most of them are from West Herzegovina which is ruled by HDZ BiH. It is widely known that the betting shops are the key funding source of HDZ.

Tax evasion

BH Parliament session on lottery games commenced on 20 April yet it came to an abrupt stop so even agenda was not adopted. There was an attempt to continue the session on 11 May, and then again on 17 May. It just didn't work. It is not going to work at all as the matter is related to the greatest and best organized robbery ever seen in BiH.

When the money is hidden from the state, can we call it the biggest money laundering in BiH? How can we stop it? Bosniak politicians do not know the answer so they are incapable and helpless to do anything for BH citizens and the country.

Just like Mr. Covic recently said:

- I have a reservation about lottery games. I have never entered a betting shop. I do not believe in such way of becoming rich.

It was expected that Covic would add: - I have become rich in a different way.

The poor continue to bet, which SDA certainly are not, so they make all their moves superficially because they are not genuinely bothered with this problem.

Our source was a Bosniak who, for sensible reasons, asked to remain anonymous. Previously, he opened several betting shops in his hometown.

Soon after he started receiving threats, provocations, tire cutting, car smashing etc. His betting shops were often places of fights and unrest. As all other betting shops were peaceful, he concluded that perhaps his competitors stand behind provocations.

As pressure became unbearable, he gave up and closed the business.

This is what he told us:

- Betting shops anywhere in the world create a great deal of profit. That is one of the most profitable businesses.

- Popular opinion in Europe was that most profitable business is insurance. They thought that people insurance agents get 85% of revenues. That's how it was until profits from betting started emerging. People bet on football games scores, sum of scores, not knowing the real loss and the real gain in those forecasts. The profit at European level tells it all, and that is from 3 – 7% payables. Therefore, 96% goes to the owners. Our football forecasters should know that they do not know football better than Europeans.

New kind of addiction

Football betting in BiH have only recently become a problem. A new, more efficient way of money drawing emerged. Profits of betting shops increased 15 to 20 times as they introduced computer game 'bingo'. This game is takes all the money from those who play it.

- Every programmer and software expert knows that a PC is programmed so as to allow gains to the level of sums invested. Every fool knows that except for those who play this new game, who are so stubborn and do not give up until the machine leaves them with empty pockets.

Numbers of PC Bingo addicts are rapidly increasing. Many families have seen bankrupt. Sarajevo betting shops are full of bingo players. We asked our source how much gain for players is allowed by computers.

I really don't know. But those who play should calculate how much they give and how much they get in return (laughter).