Recent bombing in Prague city centre provokes calls for clamp-down on casinos
Police are still searching for the man who carried out an assassination attempt on an Israeli casino owner in the centre of Prague, just over a week ago. Their investigation has led detectives to the Old Town's Liliova Street, where the assailant is believed to have been based, and close-circuit video recordings from there are being examined. The attack was reportedly part of an ongoing feud between Israeli crime gangs. As investigations continue, attention has turned to the whole issue of casinos in the Czech Republic, of which there are unusually many - over one hundred and fifty.
Brian Woods who comes from Canada runs a Casino in Prague's city center. Although his Casino is one of the biggest in Prague, he says he is not much in touch with other people from the business and is not aware of their contacts to any kind of underworld.
"Some of them are run by corporations, normal share companies. It wouldn't seem to me there is - I haven't seen at least - any underworld activity. I don't doubt there is not or there is. Of course, lots of business has it."
Under Czech law, Casinos are not subject to any strict license for their operations, they only need a permit issued by the Finance Ministry. Gambling machines which you can find in many Czech bars and pubs can be run just with a permit from the local authority.
Miroslav Moravsky from the Finance Ministry lists conditions each casino must satisfy to get such a permit.
"First of all, it must always be a joint stock company with registered capital amounting to at least 30 million crowns. All the share-holders as well as managers must have a clean criminal record. Of course, they must submit the game plans and game rules. They must install a monitoring system that monitors all visitors. They must also pay a proportion for public benefits, such as culture, health care, or the city."
Since the attack there has been a lot of criticism of the very liberal Casino regulations, and many politicians have asserted that they will work for tighter legislation. Brian Woods, however, believes that the legal conditions for Casinos in the Czech Republic are strict enough.
"There is good regulation here. I mean, the games are all regulated. They have to follow specific rules. They make sure there is no under age gambling. It seems that they have a good regulatory body and a good set up for casinos in general. I am happy with strict limits but I don't think the events prior had anything to do with casinos. Every business has bad people in it, and this is no exception."
Woods confirms that this country is very open to this kind of business and, regarding the number of casinos, Prague cannot be compared with any other major European city.
"The biggest bonus about Prague is that there is a free market. These are small casinos and they can tailor to certain clientele. That's an entertainment style as this is an entertainment city. It has beautiful architecture, a lot of things to see, a lot of entertainment for any way of life. I think it is up to people to make their own choices of what they would like to do with their life."
Prague casinos are visited mainly by tourists and largely ignored by locals. Even free market oriented politicians are aware of this fact and so they have nothing to lose by calling for a clamp-down on casinos. So whether or not the link between casinos and the criminal underworld will be proved, the golden age of this business in the Czech Republic seems to be over.
