The fact that betting shops, besides owing huge sums of money to the country, are also negatively affecting the citizens, especially children and young people, was finally realized by the representatives of local authorities.
Thus, the Municipal Councils of Stari Grad and Ilidza adopted decisions on their abolition. A large number of betting shops will be closed in the next month in Ilidza, and there will be no betting shops in the heart of Baščaršija by the end of the summer.
“In the decision that was adopted, the deadline for the closure of all the betting shops is 6 months, so there will be no more of them at the end of August. They cannot be shut down overnight. These are mostly private spaces, so they need time to find a space for a new business,” said the Mayor of Stari Grad, Ibrahim Hadžibajrić.
Mayor emphasized that permissions for this kind of activities will not be issued for the entire area of Baščaršija.
He added that this is the best solution in order to put an end to betting shops, because no one wants to open betting shops where there is no traffic or people.
“We did not specify certain streets, but we decided to ban betting shops on the entire area included in the Regulatory Urban Plan “Bascarsija”,” said Hadžibajrić.
“Betting shops should be taken away from the historical and cultural center of Sarajevo, schools and religious buildings. However, it is not possible to completely prohibit them to people. This need for gambling is in people’s minds after all,” concluded Hadžibajrić.
(Source: M. Arslanagić/Faktor.ba/Photo: K. Softić)
