A majority of Liechtenstein voters have rejected a proposed ban on casino activities in the country. In the referendum held on Sunday, the public opted to preserve the country’s known status as the “Las Vegas of the Alps.”

The microstate, which is a tenth the size of London, has six casinos across the country. If the casino ban proposed by anti-gambling groups, led by IG VolksMeinung, had succeeded, the European country’s gambling venues would have been shut down within the next five years.

Liechtenstein’s monarch and government disapproved of the ban, stating that the country benefited from the tax revenue — around $54 million per annum — generated by the activity. The opposing party argued that gambling led to issues like addiction and had the potential to ruin the country’s newly improved reputation globally.

Those arguments were seemingly swept aside during the nationwide referendum. Out of the 14,383 residents of legal age in Liechtenstein, 10,383 participated in the referendum — approximately 70% of the adult population.

Over 73% of the voters from that group were not in support of the casino ban and labelled IG VolksMeinung the offending party for trying to force the ban. Some 27% of the voters, however, supported the group’s actions. Per the vote results, Liechtenstein will continue to be the ‘Las Vegas of the Alps’.

While there was a significant gap between the supporters and the opposition, some areas in Liechtenstein recorded more positive feedback for the ban than others. One is Balzers, located eight minutes south of Casino Admiral Triesen. Around 32% of the respondents in the village supported the ban.

Balzers had the highest support for the gambling ban; however, Schaan came in a close second with over 30%. The Place Casino Liechtenstein is located in Schaan.

IG Volksmeinung, which facilitated the referendum as well as the signatures required to trigger it, was created to oppose the “casino flood”. According to the group, the casino industry could damage the national image that Liechtenstein put in so much effort to repair.

Over a decade ago, the European country was placed on an international blacklist of tax havens. Liechtenstein managed to get off the list after easing its bank secrecy laws in 2013 and joining an international forum to corporate with foreign tax authorities.

IG Volksmeinung also claimed that the country had too many casinos and, as a result, an increasing issue with problem gambling. The anti-gambling lobby said it did not want Liechtenstein to turn into “a casino and poker hotspot in the middle of Europe”.

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The principality has 40,000 denizens and six casinos. Casinos were legalized and began operations about five years ago. Most of the footfall comes from neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland as well as from Germany. Liechtenstein is ranked as the wealthiest country in the world with an annual per-capita income of $175,813.

The signatures needed for the referendum as well as the wording were brought about by IG Volksmeinung, a pressure group formed to oppose casinos in Liechtenstein.

Reasoning in favor of the ban included perceived damage to the country’s reputation, and the fear of gambling addiction, especially among the less wealthy residents. Those arguments were rejected decisively with about 73% rejecting the ban, and about 27% supporting it. Voter turnout was about 70%.

The certified numbers were 10,383 in opposition to the ban (73,3%) and 3,779 in favor (26.7%).

Government Opposed Referendum

The government as well as the country’s prince opposed the referendum and spoke out against it, encouraging the populace to vote “no” on the ban. Had the measure passed, the six existing casinos would have had five years to wind up operations.

Arguments against the casino ban included an assessment that it was too drastic and didn’t actually address gambling harm. It was also noted that casinos have become an important source of revenue. Actual damage to the country’s reputation is stable and reliable could also be seen to occur if the industry was exiled.

In early November last year, the IG VolksMeinung attempted to get Lantag to ban the casinos. Principality law requires that the government had 14 days to call a referendum under the People’s Rights Act and the referendum had to be presented to voters within three months.

The constitutional amendment was rejected on Sunday, January 29, 2023.

Industry Oversaturated

Late last year, as reported on G3 Newswire, the Liechtenstein Casino Association is well aware that the market may not be well served by so many casinos. A statement read: “The casino association understands such concerns and sees no economic basis for so many casinos in the future. Both the government’s moratorium and the measures already taken prevent further growth and accelerate the consolidation of the market situation. For these reasons, a ban on casinos is not necessary. Well-known experts do not see a solution in a ban. Experts call for active player protection that quickly identifies problematic gambling behavior and shows the guest solutions.”

The statement continued: “Due to the legal requirements, the casinos spend very high amounts and human resources on prevention work every year. Employees are trained, problematic players are addressed and, where necessary, excluded from the game. All this no longer exists with a ban.”

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