Last week the Association of Games and Entertainment, which is an umbrella organisation for producers and operators of slot machines, roulette and other games announced that the number of slot machines in Slovakia has reached the lowest level in eight years, with 19,684 pieces at the end of January this year.
According to the Association, the number of classical customers aged 30 to 40 has also decreased, with younger ones preferring to gamble online. From February 1st last year all betting and gambling facilities in Slovakia have been obliged by law to display stickers with the number of a free of charge helpline for gamblers managed by the National Centre for Treating Drug Addiction, a state agency. It is live every working day between 9am and 5 pm with an answering machine advising callers to contact treatment facilities the rest of the time. For each of these betting and gambling machines the operator should send one euro to the budget funding the helpline. Anca Dragu reports on how useful the helpline has been in its first year of activity and on whether banning facilities or users are worth even trying.
Gambling Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
