The beginning of June was about overturning a gambling ban in Bratislava by Slovakia’s court system.
Slovakia is however going ahead with online gambling bans, putting certain sites on a blacklist for Internet service providers to block.
Slovakia is not keen to let iGaming websites into their country, but one guest contributor believes there is still an important lesson for these sites on building traffic. Ivana Flynn who is a Malta SEO consultant recently discussed how iGaming sites will be able to build traffic.
If Slovakia decides to allow online gambling, then the industry operators need to be ready to jump in with some good traffic tips. Right now, Slovakia is denying iGaming websites access, but in May the government stated they would like to liberalize the iGaming laws.
The current situation for gambling is stated-owned, so there is a monopoly that online casinos may be able to break through if the laws change. It is too early to figure out what they are going to do, but in 2019 there is a possibility that foreign online casinos can access Slovakia and pay 23% in a revenue tax.
For right now, it is not possible for foreign operators to access the market, but should things change, you may want to be ready. You also have to be ready to pay the potential tax that may be associated with more liberal concepts. If licensing becomes available through the Slovak Ministry of Finance, then it is possible for casinos to start operating in the country. A blacklist exists for which casinos are not currently allowed in the country and who have been blocked.
The list will be updated as more companies are found that are not blocking Slovakian players from signing up. It is important that any casino remove Slovak as a language on the site, until the changes are made with the current regulations.
Should the changes occur, then the language can be added back, once a proper license is gained. If a firm seeks a license in 2019, there is a chance that they will gain entry, if things go well. The Czech Republic changed their laws and put a 35% tax, so Slovakia could choose to be more stringent in their taxation to feel comfortable passing the new gambling legislation that is being proposed.
Hungary is Working to Block iGaming
Hungary is also attempting to ban iGaming websites by putting a block on payments.
