& nbsp & nbspEleftheria Paizanou & nbsp; & nbsp;
Apart from casinos, a total of 349 players were found between 2019-2020 in Cyprus, who were violating the laws governing the operation of the casino and money laundering. At the same time, 1436 players withdrew to prevent their gambling addiction, while another 353 people took … time out of the casino to minimize the impact.
The exclusion of some people from the satellite casinos operating in Nicosia, Paphos and Ayia Napa and from the temporary casino in Limassol, is part of the implementation of the safe game. These are the safeguards included in the player protection legislation. The law authorizes the casino administrator, the & nbsp; Casino Gaming and Surveillance Authority, the Police and the courts to exclude certain individuals from participating in gambling. No foreclosures were ordered by the Authority, the Police or the courts in 2019 and 2020, however the administrator issued a total of 212 exclusion orders (2020) & nbsp; and another 137 exclusion orders (2019).
The main reasons for exclusion were the inability of these individuals to comply with the casino law, in particular the “AML” law, which concerns the prevention and control of money laundering, repeated violations of self-exclusion and misconduct. p>
The right to self-exclusion
By law, the administrator is required to establish responsible gambling program procedures to allow individuals who consider themselves vulnerable and concerned about their gambling behavior to apply to be voluntarily excluded from the casino premises. Self-exclusion is a process of minimizing the negative effects, where a person voluntarily requests to be excluded from the casino premises and any gambling activity for a period of six months. The individual has the option to apply for exclusion from all licensed administrator casinos in Cyprus or from a specific casino.
After the six-month period, self-excluding customers have the opportunity to re-apply for self-exclusion, if they so wish. In 2020, according to data from the Gambling and Casino Supervision Authority, a total of 699 people applied for self-exclusion, of which 12% submitted a second application in 2020. Most self-exemptions (69%) were signed at the temporary casino in Limassol. 80% of self-excluded people are men and 20% women. The largest percentage of self-excluded customers (59%) are between 31 and 50 years old. 17% are between 21 and 30 years old, and another 17% are between 51 and 60 years old. Only 7% of self-excluded customers are over 60 years old.
71% have applied for self-exclusion from all casinos, while 29% from individual casinos (mainly from the Limassol casino).
>
In addition, in 2019 & nbsp; a total of 727 people applied for self-exemption, of which 16% submitted a second application in 2019. Most self-exemptions (74%) were signed in the temporary casino in Limassol. 85% of self-excluded people are men and 15% women. The majority of self-excluded customers (61%) are between 31 and 50 years old. 19% and 16% are between 21 and 30 years old and 51 and 60 years old, respectively. Only 4% of self-excluded customers are over 60. According to the data, 72% have applied for self-exclusion from all casinos, while 28% from individual casinos (mainly from the Limassol casino).
Between 2019-2020, a total of 353 players took time out from the casinos. Analytically, in 2020, 177 people applied for … a break from the game (Time-Out), of which 20% applied two or more times in 2020. Most (84%) applied to the Limassol temporary casino. 97% applied for exclusion for 1 month and 3% for 1 week. No customer submitted a one-day Time-Out request. 73% of Time-Out applicants were men and 27% were women. The largest percentage of Time-Out applicants (60%) are between 31 and 50 years old, with 16% and 14% being between 21 and 30 years old, and 51 and 60 years old, respectively. while 10% are over 60 years old.
In 2019, 176 people applied for a break from the game. 20% applied for “Time-Out” two or more times during 2019. Most (88%) applied for the temporary casino in Limassol. 90% applied for exclusion for 1 month, 9% for 1 week and only 1% for 1 day. 71% of people who applied for “Time-Out” were men and 29% were women. The largest percentage of people who applied for “Time-Out” (56%) are between 31 and 50 years old, with 20% and 17% being between 21 and 30 years old and 51 and 60 years old, respectively, while 7% is over 60.
Exclusions will increase
In the coming years, due to the & nbsp; operation of the City of Dreams Mediterranean resort casino in Limassol, the number of exclusions, self-exclusions and breaks used by gamblers is expected to increase. And this is due to the increase in visitors. The & nbsp; City & nbsp; of & nbsp; Dreams & nbsp; Mediterranean, & nbsp; Cyprus & nbsp; & bsp; s first multidisciplinary resort & nbsp; will open its doors in the second half of 2022 & nbsp; and is expected to be the largest multidisciplinary resort in Europe. & Nbsp; , with more than 500 luxurious rooms and suites, conference and exhibition spaces of about 10,000 sq.m., outdoor amphitheater, adventure park, restaurants and luxury shops. The interior design will be based on the international luxury standards of & nbsp; Melco, which have been specially adapted for the multi-themed resort of Cyprus, while the exterior design of the project will have a strong Mediterranean character. & Nbsp; The & nbsp; casino is expected to attract an additional 300,000 tourists a year . In fact, due to the operation of the resort casino, & nbsp; it is estimated that the state will more than double its revenues from the collection of taxes from games of the existing casinos, while in the next two years the revenues are expected to further increase and increase fivefold.
< This year, € 32 million is expected to end up in the Fixed Fund of the Republic from the imposition of a casino tax. In 2021 the state had revenues from the casino tax was € 13 million. In 2023 and 2024 the state revenues from the imposition of the casino tax will amount to € 54 million and € 59 million respectively.
