Not left to chance

Czechs spent Kč 128bn last year on gambling, or roughly Kč 12,800 per person. This is more than they spent on new cars, on their beloved mobile phones, or on furnishing their homes. Granted, Czechs are fond of games of chance, but this official figure sounds fishy to us. Gaming companies in the CR had revenue last year of Kč 32.5bn, net of winnings, while one of the market leaders reported a revenue-to-winnings ratio of about 2:1. A quick calculation suggests that some lucky gamblers are walking away with especially big winnings. It's very useful for HN and others to question whether gaming companies are properly devoting part of their income to legitimate charities, but where the winnings are going is also worthy of scrutiny. One possible explanation is that some of the gambling parlors strewn across the country are involved in something other than gambling, such as perhaps money laundering.