After months of legal battle, the City of Bihać has won a case against the organizers of games of chance, confirming the legality of the decision to increase municipal taxes for betting shops. The move is already attracting the attention of other local communities, including Tuzla, which is preparing for a similar step.
With the decision of the Bihać City Council, organizers of games of chance are now required to pay a significantly higher municipal tax. The initiative was launched by Mayor Elvedin Sedić, who points out that betting shops generate huge revenues, while only a small part is taxed.
“I am glad that the decision of the Cantonal Court, not only once but twice, has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. In this way, we are even more convinced of the correctness of our plan and what we have planned. We will persevere until the end in order to secure funds and revenues in the budget of the City of Bihać,” said Mayor Sedić.
Other cities are already following Bihać’s example, and Tuzla was among the first to announce similar measures.
“As the majority in the Tuzla City Council, we have already put an item on the agenda for the next session where we will tax betting shops with a communal tax. We will direct that money towards the welfare of children, young people, families and the like,” said Tuzla City Council member Omer Berbić.
Berbić also warned of possible illegalities in the work of certain betting shops, stating that some are located in the immediate vicinity of schools and religious buildings, which is against legal regulations.
“We are aware that betting shops do not pay a high enough tax. Also, you have facilities that are outside the legal framework – within a hundred meters of primary and secondary schools or religious buildings. The new law addresses this, but betting shops that had an operating permit from before have remained, so today you have betting shops that are only 30 meters away from schools,” added Berbić.
Delegate to the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Emir Dautović welcomed the decision of Bihać, but warned that it is necessary to introduce unified federal regulations that would regulate the operation and taxation of betting shops.
“If we know that the headquarters of all these companies are in Herzegovina, then the simple answer is that it is the HDZ that is the main one blocking these laws. In the three years that I have been in the House of Peoples, no one has even tried to discuss this, let alone move towards a legal solution. Although I would personally ban betting shops, if we already have them, then it would be fair for them to be socially responsible and return part of the income to the communities from which they take money,” said Dautović.
While we wait for higher levels of government to establish a clearer and fairer taxation system, the question remains whether citizens will succumb to the challenges that gambling addiction brings. With the increasing number of betting shops and the ubiquitous online betting, the responsibility ultimately remains with the individual.
