Belarusian Gambling Market Shows No Growth

Alesia Pakhomenko, chairman of one of the gambling operators organisations in Belarus, has said that the number of casinos and halls with slot machines has decreased significantly in recent years. Four years ago there were 32 casinos in Belarus, today there are 27. The number of betting points decreased by 133 and number of slot machine halls decreased by 57.

Gambling taxes are constantly growing. During this time, despite the reduction in the number of gambling establishments, amount of taxes paid by operators to the state budget increased by 15%. Fixed rates on cash registers of betting shops increased by 202%, on slot machines by 47% and on gaming tables by 30%.

According to the Ministry of Taxes and Duties, there are no big changes in the gambling industry market. Alexey Marchenko, member of the Association for the Development of Gambling, notes that the number of casinos in the country in recent years has not changed significantly. Despite the fact that some of them are closing, new locations are constantly appearing in luxury hotels.