Serbia's good luck gambling tax: 25 hospitals or 50 schools?

Direct tax revenues from the gambling industry amounted to as much as €250 million in 2022. This amount would build 25 hospitals or fund the construction of 50 schools across the country.

The total net profit of companies in this industry in 2022 amounted to 100 million euros, and operators contributed 2.5 times more to our country's budget than the total revenue generated by the gambling industry! The gambling industry, which is one of the most regulated in the country, contributes the most to the budget of the Republic of Serbia, given that they pay taxes under different forms of taxation. For example, it is typical for the betting industry to pay a separate fee for organizing and authorizing gambling, which other industries do not do.

B''As a result of the change in the law and the increase in payments, the budget revenues on this basis have actually doubled in just three years, and all this in a pandemic. The total direct added value of the gambling industry to the Serbian economy is estimated to be at least 500 million euros, and we can say that this industry directly or indirectly influences the formation of our country's GDP by at least 1.5 percent.

One of the fastest growing industries in Serbia has directly occupied almost 15,000 jobs and supports about 100,000 jobs, considering the cooperation with many other sectors. According to a study by the Association of Gambling Organizers, thanks to the betting industry, more than 400,000 people directly and indirectly reside, if we take into account and members''families, which is equivalent to the population of a major city in our country!

Thanks to the rapid growth of online gambling, companies in this industry are becoming increasingly tech-savvy and have a growing need to hire highly skilled IT professionals. According to recent figures, betting companies employ around 500 IT professionals and at least as many mathematicians, analysts, statisticians and other highly skilled experts, and the industry is developing software and models with widespread applications in other sectors as well.

The gaming industry has a great impact on the Serbian economy through its cooperation with many other sectors that directly depend on it, such as media,''Food and beverage industry, restaurant industry, real estate sector through commercial property leasing, IT and telecom, construction industry, insurance, banking and many others.

The average annual investment of betting companies exceeds 50 million euros and they have recently invested more and more in modernization and new technologies. Local companies, the organizers of gambling, are also notable for their expansion in foreign markets, and few sectors can match them in this.

Millions in donations, the biggest support''to sport... Companies in this industry allocate millions of dollars annually to socially responsible activities and investments in community development. The support is directed to health care, cultural institutions and activities, the fight for ecology and a healthier environment, the economic strengthening of victims of family violence, young talent and start-ups, humanitarian organizations and those who needed it most...

Companies in this industry are also the biggest supporters of domestic sports. Considering that there are almost no clubs in the Serbian Super League that do not have a betting sponsor, we can conclude that our country is not lagging behind the European trends. The annual investment of companies from this industry in domestic soccer exceeds three''million euros and total contractual arrangements exceed ten million euros.

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