Slovakia Overturns Veto on Gambling Laws

This week Slovakia's National Council voted to overrule the veto on gambling laws that President Andreja Kiska implemented late last year.

Lawmakers had voted on a bill that would overhaul the country's gambling laws and allow for online betting, but Kiska vetoed the bill just before the end of the year, as he cited concerns about where tax funds would go as well as how the self-exclusion registry would be implemented. The decision was controversial, and lawmakers weren't happy with the veto, so they took matters into their own hands.

The Gambling Act now becomes law, and will see Slovakia's industry more closely resemble other countries within Europe, with a variety of protection measures for punters while bringing in new private groups. The country will now start accepting applications for online licenses on March 1st, with the market opening up on July 1st.

We're following the market and will update readers as the industry continues to develop in Slovakia.