Slovenia has been attempting to introduce innovation in its gambling industry and make way for new offerings to be available for the players in the country. The recently voted proposal for introducing new sports betting operators to the field which hit roadblock might receive a second chance to make it to the players, as it was recently confirmed that this Thursday will see the second attempt of the National Assembly to vote the proposed bill.
It could be recalled that the last days of March saw the first official attempt of passing the proposed bill which is going to see the potential liberalization of sports betting in Slovenia. Back then the National Assembly of Slovenia considered opening the sports betting sector to new and diverse operators which would be able to provide a breath of fresh air to the field. This is expected to bring more and diverse sources of revenue to the gambling field and attract more people to participating in the activities.
Sports betting is one of the preferred gambling offerings which are considered a pleasant pastime and members of parties in Slovenia are trying to follow the progressive approach of the US where at the moment the industry is eagerly anticipating the ruling of the US Supreme Court regarding the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. This is going to permit each state to make the independent choice whether or not to legalize sports betting.
Conditions for Liberalization
In order for Slovenia’s gambling industry to welcome more operators providing sports betting options, the first step was to put an end to the ongoing for years monopoly in the field, dominated by the state-owned lottery for sports betting. This attempt then met the stern veto of the Upper Chamber which put a stick in the wheel of progress for the gambling field.
According to the established rules, at the moment the only entity which has the right to provide players with their offerings are the national lottery operator Loterija Slovenije, as well as the sports betting provider Sportna Loterija. It is not a secret to anyone that the sports betting provider is against the liberalization and the weeks prior to and following the voting saw many attacks against the liberalization. As a reason for issuing a veto on the proposed bill, the National Council made it clear that introducing new players to the field is going to negatively affect the industry and its current projects.
Some them are the support campaigns for sports associations and other organizations in need of funding. As it could be recalled after the veto there was talk that a second attempt would be made in the foreseeable future and now the time has come. Branko Zorman of the Modern Center Party is expected to push ahead the proposed bill once again. Some of the leading sports clubs in the country also expressed their support of the liberalization which could result in more leverage on the proposed bill. The outcome of the second attempt is expected to be clear soon.
