A recent report states that in 2007 Slovakians spent €1.7 billion gambling and that the most popular forms of gambling were slot machines and electronic roulettes, which between them produce some 50% of gaming revenue. Over the last two years there has been a tremendous increase in gambling activity and last year it grew by around 25%, making Slovakia an attractive proposition for investors in the gaming industry.

At present casino gambling represents a very small percentage of gambling activity – about 4% - but the industry is growing. One newcomer to the Slovakian casino market is Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG), which opened its first casino in the country on 20 June 2008. Located at the Radisson SAS Carlton Hotel in Bratislava, OEG invested €4.7 million and was granted the first new operators’ licence in ten years. The company also operates casinos in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania and Poland.

OEG anticipates that it will open further casinos in Slovakia, as does the largest operator in the country, Casinos Slovakia. At present Casinos Slovakia has six casinos, including two in Piešťany and one in Bratislava. Regency Casino International owns one casino in Bratislava's Crowne Plaza Hotel. The gross gaming revenue of the Slovakian casino market amounted to €416 million in 2007, which is 32% more than in 2006. (E-08.22.08)

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