The timeline for the approval of the operation of the Casinos is short – from February 29 until the issuance of the permit two weeks later. Why such speed? The entire process took place in full compliance with the legal deadlines. The invitation to the public meeting of the council, where the conclusion of cooperation agreements was discussed, was published in advance on the official notice board of the municipality within the statutory deadline. Every citizen could get acquainted with the invitation and the program of the public meeting and come. The course of this meeting was also fully in accordance with the law and the council approved the conclusion of the agreements.
As far as the issuance of the relevant permits is concerned, a distinction must be made, as this matter no longer falls within the competence of the municipal council. This is a delegated competence of the municipality, where all steps are taken within the statutory deadlines.
Does the council of the municipality of Chrášťany normally discuss the ten-million agenda within such deadlines? As I have already mentioned, the council decided fully in accordance with the Act on Municipalities, while adhering to the principle of public meetings. And as far as the issuance of the permit is concerned, it is a delegated competence of the municipality, where there are statutory deadlines within which the decision must be issued.
Gambling is a hot-debated topic. Didn’t it occur to you that such a procedure would arouse a wave of indignation, as in Tuchoměřice, for example? Of course, such a violent reaction surprised me and I’m still processing it. As I have repeatedly stated, I and the council have been making all decisions with regard to the best interests of the municipality throughout our existence, without any ulterior or personal motivation. The council continues to be convinced that the project is in the best interest of the municipality and will bring a lot of positive benefits to the municipality.
If some citizens have a different opinion, I am sorry, but at the same time what I have already said is true. Each citizen could express their suggestions and comments at a public meeting of the council, where we discussed the conclusion of cooperation agreements. The council answered the questions of those citizens who participated and discussed the matter with them.
At the same time, however, the council continues to try to explain its actions and refute the misinformation that is circulating on the Internet in this context. We tried to do so at the last public meeting and currently also in the form of an open letter from the mayor, which is freely available on our website and which everyone can read.
In addition to the political issue, gambling is undoubtedly a pathological social phenomenon. Do you have an impact study? With which experts did you discuss the matter in the council? I am not an expert on pathological phenomena and their connection to gambling, so I would not like to speculate. We do not have a specific study available. We were purely dealing with the consequences for our municipality. We based our work on the documents provided by investors and we also discussed the matter with the mayors of municipalities where similar casinos are already operating. The conclusions of these debates also led us to the decision to conclude the agreements in question.
Other mayors have assured you that casinos https://au-onlinecasino.org/ do not generate any increased crime or threaten the safety of the neighborhood. Who were the mayors and municipalities? As I said, these were the mayors of the municipalities in which the casinos are in operation, as well as the mayor of the district where the casino was in operation in the past. I have received assurances from all of them that the negative consequences for the municipality in the above-mentioned topics of crime and security have not occurred. However, given the media dimension of the whole matter, these people do not wish to be mentioned by name and publicly dragged into the whole affair – so I will respect their wishes and keep my word.
In the end, both companies that will build the casino agreed to a one-time donation to the municipality worth 10 million crowns and 250 thousand per year for projects intended by the municipality. How did you arrive at this amount? The amount is a compromise, the result of negotiations between the municipality and the investors. I may add in this context that the amount originally offered by the investors was lower and only as a result of these negotiations was it significantly increased. In addition, investments in the reclamation of the surroundings, which are currently in an undignified form and whose attractiveness will require further considerable investments on the part of investors, cannot be neglected.
I will return to the impact study. One thing is money for the municipality, another is the influence of the casino on the price of the surrounding properties. Why didn’t you at least discuss the matter with the people who own the properties in the vicinity of the project? As I have said repeatedly, council meetings are always public. It was no different in the case of the meeting where the conclusion of the cooperation agreements in question was discussed. Anyone could take part – including those citizens who reside in the vicinity of the casinos.
As regards the question of the possible impact of casino operations on the prices of surrounding real estate, I do not believe that the value of these properties should decrease in this sense, quite the opposite. After all, this is also the experience from other municipalities where casinos are in operation. Among other things, it is worth mentioning that in connection with the construction of casinos, there will also be a significant reclamation of the surrounding environment.
From the financial resources obtained by the municipality from cooperation agreements with casino operators, investments will be made in municipal infrastructure. In terms of security, casino operators are bound by their obligations under concluded contracts and also by strict legal regulation.
