The Warsaw based company applied to the City Council of Elbląg with a request for a positive opinion regarding the location of the casino at the Arbiter Hotel. During today’s Security Committee, a representative of the company was present in the room. Councilors inquired why the application was made now that the casino has a license until 2022 and is run by another Warsaw company.
Now days , despite of the fact that a lot of gambler choose to place a bet online, and there are lot of online casinos to choose from, while deciding to place a bet, physical casinos and their location is still important to the gamblers comunity (and, of course, to the physical casino’s owners).
The councilors have asked why they should issue opinions about the location of the casino in a place where it will continue to operate for a few years.
„Mainly caused by the fact that if you have a negative opinion of this location then it will be information for us that you do not really want this casino. We must have time to possibly look for another location in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. I also need to get opinions from City Councils, sign a contract with the owner of the building. Finding a historic object in a hotel with the right area is not easy and you do not do it in a week or a month. That is why we are overtaking�? - explained the company’s representative.
There is a casino in the Arbiter Hotel.
„Currently, another company operates at the indicated address in the form of a casino, which on October 21st, 2016 at the Ministry of Finance obtained a six-year concession to operate a casino. According to art. 15 par. 1 of the Gambling Act in towns with up to 250,000 residents can be located one casino game�? - informed Krzysztof Konert, chairman of the Security Commission.
However, this is not a problem for the company seeking opinions.
„We would like to know if the Council positively evaluates this location, because the address is exactly the same, and in the end the minister will decide which company will win the tender, because it’s a fact that there will be some tender�? - stated the company’s representative.
„Is the Ministry in need of a positive opinion of the Council or an opinion at all?�? - asked Janusz Nowak, vice president of the Council of Ministers.
„According to the new act, only and exclusively the positive opinion of the City Council in the form of a resolution gives the opportunity to submit documents. Once you could submit documents, if the opinion was negative, at the moment we would not have a chance to take part in the tender - the company’s representative explained. - You give an opinion on the address where the casino already operates and there are no complaints. At this address there will be no two or three casinos. The competence of the Minister of Finance is who will lead them.�?
Patryk Ogórek, legal advisor at the City Hall, issued his opinions on this matter.
„If the Council at the moment gives a positive opinion, in my opinion it will be a message that we want those casinos in Elbląg while the current casino has still almost four years to go. In my opinion, this is a bit too early�? - he stressed.
