Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at meeting with women and girls at Lapraka neighbourhood, Tirana:
We decided to visit Lapraka today, because it is one of the most affected, probably Tirana’s area worst affected by gambling due to a high number of betting shops. Undoubtedly, the family, women, girls, wives and grandmothers are the ones bearing the brunt of the impact of often gambling disastrous consequences and problems. That’s why I think discussing this issue with you has an added significance.
In the next few days, we will finalize this initiative and I believe the Parliament will vote on Thursday to eventually put an end to any debate and rein in the whole daily mudslinging campaign with all sorts of slanders and defamations about this initiative.
It is a consolation that a considerable number of young people fall prey to this addiction in Albania even at a very early age, as the recent studies show. Around 70 percent of gambling addicts in our country have engaged in some form of gambling by the age of 10 to 15. Imagine 10 to 15-year-old children. Law strictly prevents people of this age from gambling. Instead of going to school, they end up in sports betting shops and spend money they receive from parents on gambling and betting.
The studies also suggest that one in four gamblers has contemplated suicide at least once. Around 75% of the gamblers experience stress and the gambling problems affect the functioning of family and intimate relationships, in the father and children relationship when the father is addicted gambler and in the children and parents relationship when children as teenagers are addicted.
There are people who wrongfully comment as if Albania, due to the lack of state’s capacities to bring such activity under control, is introducing a drastic measure that shows the state’s incapability. But, in fact, the truth is that France has done it drastically. France has banned by law any kind of betting and gambling activity outside the state’s responsibility. So France has established a state-run monopoly on sports betting and gambling. Germany has also state monopoly on betting. Italy too has a state monopoly. There are no companies that randomly open a betting shop and invites people in. Such activities are banned in these countries, which are among the Europe’s strongest and most developed nations, but where everyone would end up in jail for opening gambling and betting parlours.
The reason behind such a drastic approach in countries with a much more developed market economy and competition is the need to bring this activity under control. The French law even includes a specific clause stipulating the state’s care for treatment of gambling addiction. It means that gambling is considered a disease.
The truth is that there is another component in Albania that is just as important to be taken into account. Gambling industry in Albania is largely funded by the organized crime. Such activity is funded by criminal proceeds and the gambling industry is used to launder money through gambling activities by organized crime exponents who directly or secretly are involved in most of them. I can’t say they are all the same, since nobody and nothing is the same, but this is a fact. A fact we have to deal with.
This is an industry with an annual turnover averaging around 700 million euros. The figure might be a little bit lower, or higher, but the calculations show this is the average annual turnover of the gambling industry. Imagine this large amount of money that is wasted – money spent in vain without any worthy product, or that goes to the organized crime pockets – is instead channelled into the household consumption. Imagine that this whole amount of money is not thrown away in betting shops near house, school, but instead remains in the family coffer for household consumption.
Of course there is a concern about the employees in this sector, or about those who have invested in their business premises to turn them into betting shops. But the colossal damage this activity brings about forces us to cope first with the colossal detriment and impact of this activity on the society and the country, even posing a threat to the national security. Trust me! These are proceeds that go to many directions. They are used to fund the media and political parties.
This consumption that will benefit this amount of money will naturally lead to opening new businesses and the individuals who own these betting shops will change their business type taking also into account the fact that a new fiscal stimulus package will enter into force starting as of 1st January as a five percent profit tax rate will be levied on businesses with an annual turnover of 140 million lek, or $140 000, which is a minimum rate and which offers ample opportunities for people to earn a living through small business activities.
This is the only way. Of course, it would have been a miracle should we had combined both. But this is impossible.
Two years ago, we made an attempt to close down the electronic businesses. And we failed to do so. Pressure exerted on the MPs was great. We failed to secure the required majority of votes and a bad compromise was reached to postpone closure of the electronic casinos until 31 December. But betting shops were not included back then. The ban now also includes betting shops, both physical and online betting.
You have hear people claiming that the move is designed to close down all casinos, except one that would channel all profits to my brother.[Strangely enough, it is not Taulant this time as he emerges everywhere, right behind our back although not visible right now, but he is always discovered by Sali and Luli.]
It is in fact a pure defamation, because not only we will close down every one of them, but we are now working to close all online betting websites based outside Albania so that no one will be able to access online betting and casinos via smart phone or personal computer. However, we should note that there is a huge difference since you can use cash when in a sports betting shop or an electronic casino, whereas a bank card is needed when playing on online betting websites. According to our calculations, 95% percent of these gambler addicts will no longer be able to place betting and therefore they are saved. We are working to save the remaining 5% too.
On Dec 31, we will save all of you. Of course, none of you would rise and say “please save my husband”, or “please save my son, or nephew, but we will save every mother, wife, sister and grandmother and Dec 31 will be a gift because every man addicted by gambling will eventually return back home and will no longer seek consolation from these sports betting shops to walk out then even more desperate.
No one will be able to place bets in the Republic of Albania as of January 1.
This is the decision we will adopt in the Parliament’s session on Thursday.
Undeniably there are still many things not going well and that need to be addressed, but we will approach things step by step and decisively by doing the best possible at every step we take and by focusing whole attention and commitment to the people. I know there are 1001 problems. There is no magic wand to solve everything at once. It is impossible to hide years of mess and chaos, just like calendar sheet is removed to be replaced by another. What is most important is that we have the opportunity and can afford to do more bit by bit.
The baby bonus, a cash benefit completely different from what it was to date, will be provided in tandem with gambling and sports betting ban, which, as I said, will save and return more money in the household budget. I had introduced a 50 000-lek baby cash while serving as Tirana Mayor as a symbolic welcome cash gift to every newborn. The baby bonus came into force in 2000 and had remained unchanged since then.
The new cash bonuses will increase to $400 for the first child, double to $800 for the second and treble to $1200 for the third or more children. Since I have been repeatedly asked how the baby bonus will be provided should a woman is to give birth to twins, or triplets? In every case, the twins will be both considered as a second child and not as the first and therefore will receive $800 each in cash gift. The triplets will benefit the baby cash gift as third child, so $1200. We haven’t set a higher cash gift for the fourth child, yet the check will help the new couples and families as well. For example, in certain cases – we have all been informed through the media – a mother gives birth to triplets or quadruplets and all of a sudden finds herself in a dramatic situation while no law has been ever adopted to provide help and support for these mothers. With the new government decision to hike the baby bonus, such a mother is entitled to benefit direct help for the triplets and quadruplets. This will be a national policy and the cash gift will be directly provided while mother still in the maternity hospitals across the country.
This year we can afford again to approve an already traditional solidarity package for the retired people in December.
Likewise, with the new 2019 state budget we can now afford a new wage hike for employees in the public education and health sector, diplomats, as well as in the military and the security guards in the penitentiary system. We have the worst -paid ambassadors in Europe. Now we can afford to support them a bit more but progressively taking their salaries to a reasonable level in the region.
In parallel, in addition to the salary hike for the workers in the country’s prison system, we have adopted another very important measure that has been already forwarded to the Assembly and is designed to completely isolate these the so-called “strongmen”, who are high profile criminals and inmates, and make virtually impossible for them to contact with the outside world, even internally within the prison. We will adopt a very strict and harsh policy against these so-called “strongmen”. I believe the public will learn about the results of another ongoing anticrime operation, which will continue intensively until the country’s last “strongman” understands that there are no “strongmen” when going out. When leaving home, the community is the strongest.
No one will be able to defy the community and we will force all these “strongmen” to respect law and everyone else around them, either be them elders, women, girls, otherwise there is only one place they can go to, right there where those arrested today were sent to and everyone who will break the law and the rule will be definitely be sent to in the future.
The story when a whole neighbourhood is concerned over the existence of strong individuals and families will end in this country. This is a story that has been going on for years. These are habits and a code of conduct that have gained some sort of citizenship for years, just like those illegally constructed building that cannot be legalized now.
In this respect, I would like to assure everyone that the state will be on the side of every citizen and every family.
There is something I want to state it clearly because it is necessary to do so. It is necessary to be straightforward and, on the other hand, it is also indispensable to forge and strengthen interaction with the ordinary citizens. Frankly saying, the public administration remains problematic in terms of public service delivery, but you all now know that the online Co-Governance Platform is available and it takes just a click via your smart phone or computer to file a complaint over the public administration and your problem will be addressed within 10 days.
It is the easiest way to benefit what you are entitled to, without having to look for a middleman or wait in vain at the public administration offices and without having to pay a single penny.
Thank you very much for the hospitality and your attention!
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The upcoming state budget includes a funding for a group of security officers who will be deployed at every high school across the country. Quite positive results have been already achieved. It is just the beginning of this experience as the security guard won’t be simply a police officer. The armed guard is an individual graduated from the Security Academy who has been trained and attended courses on community relations and lectures on psychology and sociology. The security officers will be a reference point for teachers, parents, school principals, and students themselves. They will be a vigilant eye during the whole day from the very moment when schoolchildren walk in the school yard until school day ends. They will prevent the school truancy and identify every problem that they will then forward to the school’s principal, parents and the police whenever necessary.
We have also discussed ways to impose a new measure to protect underage children from alcohol. We are working to convey a clear message to all bar and pub owners that drastic penalties will be imposed on everyone serving alcohol to underage boys and girls.
Under this decision, such bars or pubs face closure for at least three to six months and they will be immediately closed and the licence permanently revoked should they serve alcohol to underage boys and girls, especially when the latter skip the classes during the school day. Bars cannot be alternative classrooms for these schoolchildren who end up in such premises instead of classrooms.
A direct job and cooperation will be established with the bar and pub owners and hopefully starting from January 1 we will all know the penalties every owner of these premises will face whenever allowing schoolchildren entering in, even if to buy a packet of biscuits, let alone serve alcoholic drinks. Bars and pubs are crowded with underage children who drink alcohol. This is intolerable and such practice will face harshest penalties just like it does in democratically developed countries.
Thank you very much!
