SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Austrian civil court has rewarded a Vienna gambler with €440,000 of losses squandered on slot machines, after a the court ruled that he suffered from an addiction and that gambling premises could not spot his addiction to gambling and prevent him from playing slots.
Backed by a psychiatric evaluation, the court agreed that his gambling ‘contracts’ for the period should be annulled. The gambler claimed he was not responsible for some of the 800,000 euros he spent on slot machines between 2006 and 2010.
Vienna decided in November to ban slot machines from any locations except casinos from January 1, saying they targeted mostly poorer neighbourhoods. At Present Vienna has an estimated 2,600 public slots machines
Austrian news sources have claimed that gambling operator Novomatic Group will likely appeal the ruling
“Unlike in casinos, it’s not possible in Vienna to ban somebody from a slot machine room. And you find these machines in many places, including petrol stations,” the gambler’s lawyer Christoph Naske told local news sources.
