Slovenian online gaming bill defeated

Slovenia’s plans to regulate online gambling have been dealt a blow after a bill that would legalise such activities was defeated in parliament. The bill was aimed at both regulating and licensing internet gaming and sports betting in the Eastern European country. Slovenia’s National Assembly had initially passed the bill by a vote of 35-24, but it has failed to progress past the next step. LegalGamblingandtheLaw.com reported that the National Council Commission for Economy, Crafts, Tourism, and Finance, which is part of the upper house of the Slovenian parliamentary system, voted 18-12 against the bill. MP Branko Zorman had been the main driving force behind the bill, arguing that approximately 85% of Slovenian sports betting revenue was leaving the country through unregulated foreign operators. Should Zorman and his allies wish to return to the issue this year, the bill would need to go back to the National Assembly and gain a two-thirds majority vote in order to progress. Related article: Pinnacle withdraws from Slovenia