Romania game-changer
At least nine cities in Romania are to ban betting shops and slot machine venues after the country’s government issued an emergency decree that gives municipalities the power to impose such measures.
More than 200 localities could choose to implement full bans.
Reports have stated the biggest gambling restrictions in Romania’s history will hand mayors and local councils “decisive veto power.” More than 200 localities could choose to implement full bans. At the very least, gambling firms will now need to hold an additional license for the municipality they are operating in.
The lead campaigner on the new reforms, Save Romania Union party MP Diana Stoica, said the decree meant local entities can now choose to let gambling firms operate in their locales, or not.
“If they say yes, they can decide exactly where these venues can operate and under what conditions,” Stoica stated on Monday.
Cities in revolt
One of the nine cities that indicated it was going for a full ban is Slatina. Its mayor, Mario De Mezzo wants to get rid of all gambling venues, stating: “The simplest solution was to eliminate these businesses entirely from the city. They are toxic for society.”
The mayor referenced the suicide of a Slatina man, who killed himself after losing large sums gambling. After hearing the news was supposedly when De Mezzo “decided these gambling halls must disappear.”
The mayors of Iași, Ploiești, and Brăila have also announced that they are considering similar measures in their cities after the government on Tuesday adopted Emergency Ordinance 7/2026.
According to reports, Romania’s gambling industry has mushroomed in recent years, with tens of thousands of slot machines and betting outlets operating across the country. The majority can be found in the capital Bucharest.
Stoica told the Guardian that Romania has permitted gambling “to explode over the past 20 years.” She added: “to open a flower shop, you needed a permit from city hall. For gambling venues, you didn’t.”
We are not in Las Vegas”
The MP recently held a media conference in Bucharest in front of an apartment building located near multiple schools that was hosting six betting shops at ground level. “We are not in Las Vegas,” Stoica said at the conference. “This crowding of destructive machines is happening in the middle of residential neighbourhoods.”
Plenty to consider
Bucharest’s Mayor Ciprian Cucu, however, said he needed to consult the city before issuing a ban on gambling venues. Mayor Cucu suggested one idea might be to restrict venues to areas such as the Old Town.
The Romanian gambling industry made almost €1bn ($1.1bn) in state taxes in 2025 “despite official audits identifying several million euros in uncollected revenue.” Slatina’s mayor De Mezzo, however, said lost gambling revenue would be worth it just to save “even one life.”
The Romanian parliament is also debating a no under 21 restriction on gambling halls, and capping losses to 10% of declared income.
