Although since May 2019, gambling businesses are activities prohibited by law, their owners have still found a way to open them online. Only during the period January-March 2024, the Kosova Police for the criminal offense "Organization of pyramid schemes and illegal gambling" has discovered 12 cases. Meanwhile, during 2023, 42 illegal gambling websites were discovered.

The cybernetics expert, Mentor Hoxhaj, tells KosovaPress that Kosovo currently does not have its digital borders, borders which would clearly determine the policies of what can enter and exit.

Hoxhaj has warned people who are gambling on online sites that they are risking their data and monetary wealth.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Gambling Businesses Association, Istref Veliu, in a written response, has emphasized that the closure of gambling has brought economic losses and now that money is pouring into the budget of Macedonia.

According to him, if these businesses are legalized, the phenomenon of illegal businesses will decrease and it would help fill the state budget.

"The fact that now the state budget lacks tens of millions of euros, which the state has been collecting, is a powerful argument. The money that used to be poured into the budget of Kosovo today goes to the budget of Macedonia. The decision to close gambling businesses has been populist and has been used by political parties to gain a handful of votes. We have been legalized businesses and we have paid tax. By legalizing them, we reduce the phenomenon of illegal businesses and help fill the state budget. The government's decision to close gambling has paved the way for the development of illegal businesses. It is worth noting that with the closure of these businesses, thousands of jobs have been lost. Sooner or later, the institutions will understand that the only way to stop illegal gambling is to legalize it and create a new law in accordance with the laws and regulations of the EU", Veliu said in a written answer.

And a citizen who wants to remain anonymous, confessed that he is not very addicted, since he does not always win, but after the closure he continued to play online.

According to him, they should be legalized in Kosovo as well, but according to the conditions provided by the state, by paying taxes, and as a main condition, an age must be set, and they must not be near school institutions.

The decision to close gambling was made after two people were killed in two casinos in different cities of Kosovo. /A.Shala/