Last week, the Ministry of Finance in Czech Republic announced that they intend to restrict online bonuses and free bets as a protective measure against gambling addiction. They believe that this way it could be easier for them to control players who may encounter problematic behaviors. The new legislation fits into the previous summer policy in which the authorities aimed to defend consumers’ rights by controlling players’ spending.
Gambling at the Root of Other Issues
According to the Government report: “The casinos, appealing to instant and seemingly easy winnings, have become typical not only of the suburbs of the Czech cities, but also of the centres of smaller municipalities, and all of the related socially harmful activities pose a threat to public order and peaceful coexistence. Given the fact that gambling is an area of business that carries a negative social cost, as it causes pathological gambling and associated undesirable manifestations in a particular part of the population, a new legal framework has been put in place to improve consumer protection, the conditions under which gambling can be run, and not only the conditions relating to the direct provision of gambling, but also related activities such as advertising and others.”