Romanian lawmaker proposes raising legal age for gambling
The MP has also proposed stricter advertising rules for online gambling.
Romania.- Raluca Turcan, a member of parliament for the Romanian Liberal Party (PNL) has proposed raising the minimum age for gambling in Romania from 18 to 21. The measure is included in one of two legislative proposals that aim to tighten restrictions on the gambling industry.
The proposal, submitted to the Romanian Parliament yesterday (November 5), says a rise in the minimum age for gambling would strengthen protections for young people’s emotional and financial well-being. The MP argued that the ages from 18 to 21 is “one of the most fragile stages of life,” since young people are studying or commencing their studies or careers with responsibility for their own finances for the first time.
“The gambling industry, based on persuasive mechanisms and refined psychological techniques, targets precisely this vulnerable segment,” she said, arguing that raising the age for gambling would give young adults “a window of emotional and financial maturation.”
The minimum age for gambling is 21 in the US. In Europe, several countries have also imposed 21 as the minimum age. Turcan mentioned the examples of Portugal, Greece and the Republic of Moldova, where she said the measure had led to a significant decline in gambling addiction and debt among young people. More recently, Belgium raised the minimum age for gambling to 21 just over a year ago, and the gambling age in Latvia is also being raised to 21.
Proposal for stricter rules on gambling advertising in Romania
Turcan also submitted a second bill that proposes new regulations for gambling advertising online. The proposal would ban gambling-related advertisements on digital platforms between 6am and midnight on the grounds that minors and young adults are more likely to see the content at this time. The proposal would also ban the use of influencers, athletes and public figures in gambling campaigns.
Turcan said the bill was intended to reflect a change in young people’s media habits. She said: “young people are not attracted to traditional ads but to the models they follow and imitate online.”
Earlier this week, the Romanian National Office for Gambling (ONJN) joined the growing list of gambling regulators to formally prohibit the blockchain-based prediction and event trading platform Polymarket from operating within its jurisdiction. Polymarket has been added to Romania’s blacklist of unlicensed gambling entities after the regulator saw an “explosive increase“ in unauthorised betting via the platform during the presidential elections in May.
