Romania fines gambling operator

A council imposed a €50,000 fine on a gambling operator for taking over an agency with no approval.

Romania.- The Competition Council from Romania has set a €50,000 fine in gambling operator Westgate Romania because the latter didn’t wait until it obtained the approval before taking over the Stanleybet betting agency.

The council found while analysing the transaction where Westgate took over the right to use the Stanleybet brands that the operation had already been implemented. In a press statement, the authority said that Westgate opened and closed workstations and installed or withdrew terminals before obtaining authorisation from the council.

According to current regulations, it is forbidden to act on a merger before notifying and obtaining the authorisation from the Competition Council. Therefore, the buyer can not make decisions about the acquired company, such as exercising the right to conclude contracts, selling the assets, restructuring the company, before the Competition Authority analyses the operation.