Radovan Karadzic, Sarajevo is not your city, and you have no right to say that it is, just as you do not have the right to say in public, even if it’s in court, that someone has dug up bones around Bosnia and brought them to Srebrenica to make a fake graveyard. This is insulting.
Try Your Luck
| 03 February 2010 | By Mona Mangat
If you’ve walked down any local Belgrade street, you might have noticed the word ‘Kladionica’. You may have also noticed that these ‘betting shops’ are everywhere, sometimes resembling a doctor’s waiting room, a cafe with many televisions, or a smoky bar, and there is even one in Obilicev Venac that looks like a space-ship themed night club. Some don’t have any windows and are reminiscent of after hour drinking holes or triple-x strip clubs. Giving into our curiosity, we decided to find out what goes on inside, and speak to some of the customers courting Lady Luck.
Gambling has a long history in Serbia and the former Yugoslavia, though nowadays it has become more formalised, and even the national government is cashing in on the habit. The state lottery, set up only a few years ago in 2004, is now the leading organiser of ‘games of chance’ in the Western Balkans.
Proceeds from the state lottery go to social causes such as the Red Cross, humanitarian organisations, and citizens with disabilities. Organisations, companies and institutions that implement programs to improve the economic and social status of citizens, sports and cultural organisations, and local government projects also benefit from the proceeds. The lottery offers a range of games, including the weekly ‘Loto’, bingo, scratch-cards like ‘Greb Greb’, and SMS games in which a unique bid can win you a car.
Most Belgraders claim to play the lottery at least a few times a year, especially when a large sum is up for grabs. Of the Belgrade residents we spoke to, female pensioners seemed to be the most regular players of the lottery, while the men we spoke to claimed they preferred to lay sports bets at the ‘Kladionica’ because they felt more in control of their ‘destiny’ by making their own picks.
According to the government, there are over 2,500 betting shops in Serbia. The first betting shop opened in Yugoslavia on February 26, 1993. The “Atlantic” had a small counter at the OFK Stadium in Karaburma. Betting has since exploded into a national phenomenon, with adults and young people alike getting involved. But sports bets are not the only moneymakers, gamblers can now try their luck on the results of parliamentary elections, both national and international, and even the Oscars.
Belgrade's mayor, Dragan Djilas, worried by this trend, recently raised concerns about the 200 or so shops which are within 150 metres of public schools. Serbia's national ombudsperson, Tamara Luksic-Orlandi, has lobbied to have the Law on Gambling changed so that young people will be barred from entering kladionica shops.
Mile Simojlovic, the head of administration for lottery and gaming in the Ministry of Finance, told local media that there are just seven inspectors working on checking, enforcing and controlling betting shops. The inspectors share a single car.
Many criminal charges have been filed over the years against betting shop operators for tax evasion, while laws to regulate the industry have proven largely toothless. New regulations do allow the state to oversee casinos which have been legally established, such as the Grand Casino, but many rogue establishments remain.
Blic recently reported that since the state has no effective financial control over kladionica, Serbia loses millions of euros in potential taxes every year. Serbian betting houses pay the lowest taxes in the region. Between 2005 and 2007, the sector paid just €10 million in taxes to the state. With somewhat tighter restrictions in place more recently, Serbia collected €11.5 million in tax revenues in the first three months of last year from 87 gaming firms that legally control over 2,500 parlors.
And despite the financial crisis, Serbs are gaming more. We met Nikola in ‘Mozzart Space’, the trendy betting bar that looks like a night club, offering all kinds of pretty cocktails in a designer atmosphere. We spoke for a while, and at first he was hesitant, but after chatting with us about NHL hockey teams, he told us how addicted he was to betting.
“I actually got divorced this year. I was married in 2008, had a beautiful wife, a house, a car and a future in front of me. But I couldn’t resist the rush of the win, and the excitement it created when I watched the games. Lotteries are for grandmas. Sitting with friends arguing odds and players and stats was such a part of my social life and all my friends gamble. I never knew how to have fun without it. What killed my marriage was the anxiety... She left me because I couldn’t leave my mistress, ‘kocka’ (gambling).”
Nikola told us that betting and gambling is such an ingrained part of Serbian culture that it can actually define one’s masculinity. To take a risk means you are a man who is self-confident and sure of his choices, and is always ready to play and go for it all. We asked him about his strategies and if he would ever stop betting, but he said he doubted it. It was a part of his identity.
Pathological gambling can be an addiction which, like any other, requires treatment, but there are few options. The Herz Fund is one organisation that treats gambling addicts. Dejan Stojanovic, the fund's founder, recently told reporters for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project that his organisation has treated between 4,000 and 5,000 addicts in the last 4 years. And in 2007 a rehab clinic opened in Belgrade, founded by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Nicholay Vorobiev. But these options do not provide relief to the poor and to those who spend their last dinars betting.
Unlike many other European countries, particularly Great Britain, which devote millions to treatment programmes, Serbia has no government sponsored programmes.
In another fancy location, we approached a pair of young women. They were dressed up for a Friday night of fun, yet both were intensely studying the stat sheets, debating how to lay their bets. We asked them how they started betting, and Sanja answered, “My ex-boyfriend was a die-hard football fan and Saturdays were devoted to it, I hated feeling left out so I started gambling with him. Now we aren’t together, but this is like a ritual. I just have to buy a ticket at the end of the week and play a few games. It’s fun and I’ve actually won a few times, I bought this bag just last week.” Her friend, Dragica, who insisted that she pose for our cameras, explained that it was exciting. She said she often goes out with her father to betting shops, as it’s the only way to socialise with him. “Why should guys have all the fun?”
Milos, sitting nearby, overheard our conversation and added, “You can’t take it (gambling) too seriously. I know people who do this almost as regularly as their jobs, and quite a few make money at it. But it’s an illusion, if you win you want to bet more and play bigger; if you lose, you want to make up for it and play again to redeem yourself. It’s a dangerous cycle, and the whole time you’re excited, you still feel guilty.”
Vladimir, who works in the betting shop, said he has seen all types of people come in. He told us that his regular customers were not just older men smoking cigars, but everyone from women, teenagers, rich and poor alike, and anyone who believes they have the inside score. He described to us his most typical types of players:
Hard-core addict
Sits in a corner all day, cursing under his breath, unshaven, drinks coffee, smokes incessantly, eyes fixed to the teletext. Usually uses his rent money to bet.
Superstitious gambler
Today is their lucky day; they avoid black cats, ladders and watch the clouds for signs.
Happy loser
Never wins, always plays too many games on one card, takes chances on the long shots and thinks it’s just fun to bet on the impossible.
Copy-cat
Doesn’t really like sports, but loves the thought of making money for nothing. Stands close to others and copies their picks. Takes forever at the payment counter because he is sure it’s a conspiracy!
The expert
Might even bring his laptop with him, he reads online blogs galore, religiously follows sport happenings and analyses all the factors that affect a match - weather, the players' weights, their injuries, home/away advantage. Always the first to offer tips and advice.
Guy ‘with no job and lots of money’
Always bets big, walks in with a swagger, picks up the waitresses, flashes his fancy watch. Tells others about his new motorbike. Returns triumphantly to collect his money when he wins.
Idle pensioner
With nothing else to do and some spare cash, this person makes very small bets and lounges all day until its time for a nap. Doesn’t understand the odds or internet betting, and usually has a lotto ticket in his pocket.
No matter which category you fall into, or even if you don’t gamble at all, it’s likely that sooner or later you will find yourself inside one these facilities with the rest of Serbia, playing the odds and trying your luck.
2010-02-03 21:52:45