Online Casinos in Slovenia

The Legal Position

Gambling in Slovenia is a state monopoly operated through concessions. The Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia states that "Prirejanje iger na srečo je izključna pravica Republike Slovenije, ki se lahko prirejajo le na podlagi dovoljenja oziroma koncesije pristojnega organa" - operating games of chance is the exclusive right of the Republic of Slovenia, and they may be operated only on the basis of a permit or concession from the competent authority.

Slovenian law splits gambling into two families. Klasične igre na srečo, the classic games, are lotteries, instant-win lotteries, quiz lotteries, tombola, loto, sports forecasts, sports betting and raffles; at most two operators may run them on a permanent basis, each under a concession. Posebne igre na srečo, the special games, are the casino category - "igre, ki jih igralci igrajo proti igralnici ali drug proti drugemu na posebnih igralnih mizah s kroglicami, kockami, kartami, na igralnih panojih ali na igralnih avtomatih, ter stave in druge podobne igre v skladu z mednarodnimi standardi". These "se smejo prirejati v igralnicah in igralnih salonih na podlagi pridobljene koncesije" - may be operated in casinos and gaming salons under a concession - and the numbers are capped: "Na območju Slovenije vlada lahko dodeli največ 15 koncesij za prirejanje posebnih iger na srečo v igralnicah in 45 koncesij za prirejanje posebnih iger na srečo v igralnih salonih." The Government decides on granting and extending those concessions.

Online Play

Online casino play sits inside the concession system rather than beside it. The applicable legislation listed by the Government includes the Pravilnik o prirejanju iger na srečo preko interneta oziroma drugih telekomunikacijskih sredstev - the rules on operating games of chance via the internet or other telecommunications means - and the Ministry of Finance publishes an "Izvleček iz registra koncesionarjev za prirejanje spletnih iger na srečo v igralnici", an extract from the register of concessionaires for operating online games of chance in a casino.

The Regulator and Enforcement

Supervision belongs to the Finančna uprava Republike Slovenije (FURS), the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia. The Government's own page states that "Za nadzor nad izvajanjem Zakona o igrah na srečo je pristojna Finančna uprava Republike Slovenije", and that it carries out those tasks within the Posebni finančni urad. FURS describes its own role as supervising the conduct of the activity, issuing decisions and performing other administrative tasks under the Zakon o igrah na srečo (ZIS). Where it finds gambling operated without a permit or concession it prohibits it: "Če FURS pri izvajanju nadzora ugotovi, da se igre na srečo prirejajo brez dovoljenja oziroma koncesije, izda odločbo o prepovedi prirejanja iger na srečo." If an online operator does not comply, the route to blocking runs through the courts: "Če kršitelj, ki prireja igre na srečo preko spleta, odločbe o prepovedi prirejanja igre na srečo ne izvrši, lahko FURS predlaga sodišču, da ponudniku storitev informacijske družbe odredi omejitev dostopa do spletnih strani, prek katerih se prirejajo spletne igre na srečo brez koncesije vlade." - FURS may propose that the court order an information society service provider to restrict access to the websites through which online games of chance are operated without a Government concession.

Responsible Gambling

Slovenia runs a statutory self-exclusion system, the samoprepoved, described by FURS as one of the measures for preventing gambling addiction. A player may require an operator - "v igralnici, igralnem salonu ali pri spletnih igrah na srečo", in a casino, a gaming salon or in online games of chance - by written declaration to bar them from participating for no less than six months and no more than three years, and "Samoprepoved velja na celotnem območju Republike Slovenije." Operators must warn players about the risks, in particular the possibility of addiction, give guidance on responsible play, and tell players where help can be found.