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Prague 2 to shutter certain hernas

Citing threat to kids, mayor seeks to close 19 gambling bars

By Claire Compton
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 18th, 2008 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Prague 2 plays tough against gambling joints that operate near schools, saying the bars are a bad influence.
On a Friday afternoon, right around the time school gets out, the herna bars in Prague 2 are quiet smoke-filled alcoves where the slot machines appear livelier than their patrons. Their exteriors are unmistakable and almost uniform in their advertisements and neon signs.
For neighboring merchants and residents, they are mere eyesores. But, for school-age children, they are an inappropriate part of their walk to school and potentially a threat to their well-being, according to Prague 2 Mayor Jana Černochová.
Efforts to shut down the hernas, the ubiquitous gambling bars, have been largely unsuccessful given the lack of restrictions. One recent effort, in 2006, saw the Senate fail to pass an amendment that would have targeted gambling.
With national legislation a dim possibility, the mayors of Prague’s various districts, including Černochová, have instead taken it upon themselves to regulate the herna bars.   
Černochová’s strategy for reducing the number of hernas in her district hinges on the argument that the bars should not be allowed in the vicinity of schools. There are currently 98 establishments in Prague 2 that feature gambling. The Prague 2 mayor has submitted a proposal to City Hall seeking to shutter 19 and remove slot machines from nine others.  
Prague 2 estimates the district will lose 15 million Kč ($950,000) if the proposed 19 bars are closed, but the trade-off for a more tourist-friendly environment and the effect on real estate prices would recoup the loss, Černochová said.  
A survey of several Prague 2 hernas by The Prague Post found their owners unwilling to comment on the Town Hall’s efforts.
Local officials have expressed frustration at the lack of restriction on gambling, although Černochová admitted that there have been successful efforts in the past year that will have the long-term effect of cutting down on the number of hernas.
While the Senate may have been unsuccessful at its attempt to control the problem, Prague City Hall passed an ordinance regulating the time and locations where slot machines can be operated. The net effect of the ordinance, which came into effect Jan. 1, has been a freeze on new businesses, Černochová said.  
“Thanks to the ordinance, it has not been possible to open up new facilities with slot machines,” she said. “Based on the regulations, the number of such facilities should be gradually reduced.”  
The ordinance came after districts expressed frustration at gambling laws that centralized the authority to regulate the businesses. Town halls are obligated to honor any business permits issued by City Hall, which in turn had to issue them according to the law.  
“If somebody wants to run slot machines and meets all the requirements stated in this law, he receives permission. That’s why our economic department had to issue these permissions, although we didn’t like the growing number of slot machines in Prague 2,” Černochová said.  
In order to enforce the regulations, Prague 2 must submit proposals to City Hall to close certain locations based on violations of the ordinance.   
Černochová said protecting children is a priority, but wouldn’t name specific incidents involving students and herna bars, only saying that “yes, unfortunately,” they had happened.
Gloomy future
At the Štěpánská Elementary School, there is a herna bar nearby, and kitty-corner to the school is a sex shop. Principal Miroslav Galbavý said those and other such establishments are unsuitable for school areas.  
“I don’t know of any incidents with our school, but we have a lot of sex shops around,” he said.
While protecting schoolchildren is a straightforward way to enforce restrictions under the new ordinance, it is only one aspect of the broader issue, Černochová said. At the heart of it is protecting a neighborhood’s aesthetic appeal and the perceived safety of its residents and visitors.   
“Police are often called to herna bars or their immediate surroundings,” she said. “In areas where there are herna bars, the crime rate is higher for stealing cars, vandalism and disturbing the peace at night.”  
Proximity to schools is one of many stipulations on where and when herna bars operate. Slot machines have been banned from public buildings, and they cannot be within 100 meters (330 feet) of schools and 50 meters of municipal buildings. Officials may also look to close establishments that do not comply with the operating guidelines of the ordinance, including advertisements for games on building exteriors.   
A broader part of the ordinance specifies a ban on slot machines in areas of “special significance,” meaning sites of historical or tourist value, or places of public gathering.
As a whole, the ordinance appears to ban slot machines in the majority of areas, and means an uncertain and gloomy future for herna bar owners.  

Claire Compton can be reached at ccompton@praguepost.com


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Reader's comments:

add your comment
[00:30 20/06/2008] : Prague 2 plays tough against gambling joints that operate near schools...

HA- on Zerotinova in P3 there is a whore house 50 feet from an elementary school! The red lights on and Ukrainians come in and out all day...they should abolish the herna altogether, more than any other nation in the European Union, shameful. Prague is known for its whores and hernas, a dubious distinction!
Philip
San Fran
[20:57 23/06/2008] : What kind off a threat is a little herna bar comper to the global threat of the USA-mascot "Philip from
San Francisco" (Good city reputation..Ehh?)
Whatever you do.. don't work as a diplomat!
R.Karlsson
Sweden
[20:12 25/06/2008] : I really think that Internet gambling is a more dangerous problem than some gambling on the machines... (In areas where there are herna bars, the crime rate is higher for stealing cars, vandalism and disturbing the peace at night. The Prague Post)
Why not "ban" the entire tourist-army from the UK!
After all, they have the bad habit of causing trouble in the neighborhood. (Not to mention "Philip" from San Francisco)


R Karlsson
Sweden
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