Romanian mayors seek to close gambling halls
A growing number of Romanian mayors are calling on councils to limit or even ban gambling in Romanian towns and cities.
Romania.- An increasing number of Romanian mayors are seeking new restrictions on land-based gambling in their areas. Several have expressed support after Mario De Mezzo, the mayor of Slatina, announced this week that he would seek to ban gambling in the city in southern Romania.
De Mezzo vowed that he would act under new legislation to ensure that betting shops and gambling halls are gradually phased out as existing licences expire.
The power to take such a decision usually rests with local councils, but other mayors are also starting to raise their voices on the matter. Lucian Braniște, the mayor of Vaslui in eastern Romania said he would present a draft resolution seeking to ban gambling halls in the city.
“In recent years, gambling has become a serious problem in many communities in Romania. Beyond advertisements and colorful lights, behind these halls, there are too often stories of affected families, debts, addiction and suffering,” he told G4media.ro.
Similarly, Mihai Polițeanu, the mayor of Ploești in Prahova County, said he would make a proposal to the City Council to ban betting shops. He told Economedia.ro that parts of the city centre had become a “strange, underworld-like” environment due to the spread of bookmakers.
Mayors in Brăila and Rădăuți also suggested that they would seek to restrict gambling activities.
Romanian gambling law now requires operators to obtain local authorisation as well as a national licence. The change means that local councils now have the power to decide whether to allow gambling venues in their jurisdictions. Whether the proposed bans go ahead will hinge on whether the respective mayors can get enough council votes to support the proposals in their municipalities. There are likely to be legal and political conflicts on the way.
Proposal to raise legal gambling age in Romania
Meanwhile, the Senate has advanced a bill introduced by National Liberal Party (PNL) MP Raluca Turcan that would raise the legal gambling age in Romania from 18 to 21.
The Senate also backed a separate initiative from the Save Romania Union (USR) that seeks to ban gambling advertising between 6am and midnight across both online and broadcast platforms. The proposal, supported by the governing Pro-Europe alliance would also ban the use of celebrities, athletes, and influencers in gambling promotions.
Turcan says her proposal was motivated by findings from the NGO Save the Children, which identified Romania as having the highest rate of youth gambling problems in Europe. She welcomed the Senate’s approval. Within Europe, Belgium, Greece, Lithuania and the Netherlands have all increased their minimum age for gambling to 21. A proposal is currently on the table in Bulgaria too.
