Czech Lower House OKs raise in gambling tax

Lawmakers in the Czech Republic’s lower house has given the initial nod to a bill that will raise the tax on gambling winnings by as much as 8 percent starting next year.

The bill passed the first of three readings last Tuesday, Reuters reported. If passed, the bill would see the tax on winnings from lotteries and sports betting increase from 20 percent to 23 percent, while slot machine winnings will have a 28 percent tax.

The measure is expected to contribute an estimated 2 billion crowns to the country’s coffers, according to the report.

Last year, Czechs reportedly spent 138 billion crowns ($5.63 billion) on gambling—more than half of it on mechanical and video slot machines. That number accounted for roughly 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP.