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Third reading of Gaming Act in Polish Parliament
The Polish Parliament is working on amendments to the Gaming Bill (Project 771), which will introduce licensing for the siting of limited payout machines in legal operations.
On 12, March 2003 in polish Sejm was third reading of amendments to the Gaming Bill. Sejm accept one amendment most important for operators. Members of Parliament decrease a tax level from each AWP machine by month to EUR 50 in 2003 year, and EUR 75 in 2004, EUR 100 in 2005 and EUR 125 in 2006 year. The Government's project suggests the legalisation of AWPs, but with increases in taxes for limited payout machines, above the accepted level in Poland - EUR 200 per machine per month. It's very good news for polish operators. Rest of amendments not change. The prize will be EUR 15 maximum. The price of play would be 7 euro cents. AWP play will be permitted only for persons 18 years and above. The obligatory exams that are required to obtain professional certificates for those working in the gambling sector - directors, managers, inspectors, table cashiers and croupiers, will also be required of AWP owners and staff.
All these people must know the Polish language. Companies who want to operate AWPs must have EUR 200.000 capital. AWPs must be operated at least 100 m from schools and churches. The maximum number of AWP machines in one location is 3. EUR 10,000 for company permission (AWP) and EUR 1,000 for each machine - for 6 years.
The third reading encompasses the presentation of an additional report of the committee or - if the bill had not been referred back to the committee - the presentation by the Deputy-Rapporteur of the amendments and motions put forward during the second reading as well as voting, or actually a number of ballots which usually precede the final passage of the bill, which requires a simple majority vote in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of Deputies, unless the Constitution provides for another majority. After the bill has been passed, it becomes a statute, although without binding force. 432 members of Parliament participated in voting about new Gaming Act - 262 voted for and 170 voted against.
In the Polish legal and juridical language a bill becomes a statute the moment it is passed by the Sejm, although a statute thus passed is not yet in force. The statute gains the force of a universally binding law only after the legislative process in the Senate is completed, it is signed by the President and published in the Journal of Laws.
The Marshal submits the statute passed by the Sejm to the Senate. Within 30 days from its submission, the Senate may adopt the statute without any amendments, adopt amendments or resolve upon its total rejection. If, within the prescribed time period the Senate fails to adopt an appropriate resolution, the statute is considered adopted according to the wording submitted by the Sejm. Senate will probably accept the bill without new amendments. Signing by the President is planned for April and it is hoped that the Act will come into force in June or July.
Our thanks to Waldemar Banasik for providing this news story.
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