(Jamma) The refusal to accept slot machines in their establishments, which often ruin the lives of those who become addicted to electronic gambling, starts from the owners of the Domodossola bars, and not from the municipality. In Verbano Cusio Ossola – the province which holds the record for this vice, with a per capita expenditure of 640 euros a year – the battle had already been attempted a year ago by Marco Zacchera, mayor of Verbania. He tried to limit its use between 15 and 22 pm, but the ordinance was rejected by the administrative court of Piedmont.
Now, the capital of Ossolan tries. But it is not the Municipality that acts as a "bridgehead" against slots, but the owners of three of the many bars in a city that thrives on commerce. Since yesterday, an eloquent window sticker has stood out at the entrance to the premises: «Coffee is better without slots».
But the battle is only just beginning. The Movimento 5stelle has already asked the administration to join the mayors' manifesto for legality, against gambling. «In their own small way – explain the grillini – other mayors are trying to put a stop to the opening of new amusement arcades. The council of Reggio Emilia has approved a variant to the urban planning regulation which limits the possibility of settling in the municipality. In the last year, the discomfort has grown so much as to reach around a thousand cases of pathological gambling addiction in Piedmont. The health services spend about 1,8 million euros a year on treatment". It is singular that in Domodossola, it is the bartenders who take the field.
