As of: March 14, 2024, 3:59 p.m
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Passers-by walk past an arcade.
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
Arcade operators feared the worst when the state parliament in MV decided on minimum distances from schools and from one arcade to the next.
According to the Interior Minister, things didn't quite turn out that way.
Schwerin - The minimum distances between arcades and schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that have been in effect since the beginning of 2023 have led to a slight decline in arcades.
A query to the responsible local authorities showed a decrease of a good seven percent, as Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) made clear in the state parliament on Thursday.
The 51 responding authorities reported 179 arcades at the end of 2022.
On June 30, 2023 there were still 166, said Pegel.
The minister was asked in the state parliament about the effects of the new regulations.
In 2012, the law implementing the State Treaty on Gambling stipulated that there must be a minimum distance of 500 meters as the crow flies between arcades in MV.
The same applies to the distance to schools.
According to Pegel, the regulation was enforced on January 1, 2023. The industry had warned of clear-cutting and feared the loss of hundreds of jobs.
Only in one municipality is there no longer an arcade as a result of the distance rule, Pegel said.
This is the city of Ueckermünde (Western Pomerania-Greifswald district).
There was previously an arcade there, explained a ministry spokeswoman.
dpa