Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu warned gambling companies on Tuesday that their licences would be revoked if they failed to comply with a law banning slot machines in smaller towns, in a bid to tackle the country’s alarming gambling addiction rates.
During the government meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister announced that the government would begin enforcing the new law banning gambling in small towns.
“Failure to promptly relocate their equipment will result in licence revocation without delay. We aim to quickly rid 90% of the country’s localities of these establishments,” the prime minister said.
He also emphasised the need to revise gambling legislation for the remaining 10% of localities not covered by the current law.
The new law, which came into force on Monday, prohibits the installation of gaming machines in municipalities with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants.
It also imposes stiff fines ranging from 100,000 lei (€20,096) to 200,000 lei (€40,190) for minors who enter gambling establishments, with repeated offences leading to the suspension and eventual revocation of licences.
These legislative changes were proposed in response to the proliferation of gambling networks and the alarming rates of addiction among the Romanians.
While there are no harmonised gambling rules at EU level, some member states have recently taken action against gambling advertising.
Last year, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands implemented bans on gambling advertising, while other European countries have imposed partial restrictions, particularly concerning minors.
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)