Friday, November 27, 2009

Poland Parliament Approves Gambling Ban

From: www.casinogamblingweb
Add Poland to the list of countries that has now banned Internet gambling. A new bill has passed parliament that will ban gambling everywhere outside of casinos. The bill came about after a major government scandal involving gambling.

The government had originally been in the process of raising taxes at casinos in Poland. There were claims that several members of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's administration was involved in attempting to thwart the process because of their ties to the gambling industry.

In response to the allegations, Tusk immediately began to push for a change in the gambling laws in the country. The prime minister had to ensure that he regained the trust of the people of Poland, and he has now succeeded by limiting their gambling options.

Slot machines in bars and malls appear to be the target of the new bill. It is projected that over 50,000 machines will be taken out of these locations, a major blow to businesses that rely on the games as another form of income.

Internet gambling will also be affected. Operations that re licensed in other countries will be losing Polish customers. Several of these operations have already called for the European Union to look into the new laws in Poland.

Poland joins the US as countries who have tried to ban Internet gambling. In the US, however, many lawmakers are working towards regulating the online gambling industry instead of criminalizing people who enjoy Internet gambling.