Romania’s second most populous county of Iași will close the doors of all local land-based venues that host slot game machines.
Local media reports that all 98 local councils have decided to root out the establishments from their territories as a result of a recent legislation passed on the central government level, with each council handling the process in a way it deems appropriate.
Some local authorities will initiate the closures immediately, while others will wait until the existing licences expire, which according to the national gambling regulator ONJN, the last slot machine licences will come to an end in February 2027.
Iași is the first county in Romania to implement such a measure, and is more than likely to set a precedent given its size.
The decision is a result of continuous campaigning by more than 7,000 anti-gambling activists such as Paul Ciobanu, who for Digit24 shared: “The ordinance moved the decision to local authorities. We were very happy because it is easier to convince a city hall than a government to legislate.
“We can be happy that we are the first county to get rid of this phenomenon. We started with ‘Iași – Say no to the scoundrels’, and then another 170 local campaigns appeared.”
Campaigners believe that the move will help strengthen efforts to reduce problem gambling not only in Iași but across the rest of Romania.
This comes at a time when discussions around safer gambling in Romania are reaching a boiling point, with the government facing constant calls to improve self-exclusion and raise the minimum age for gambling in the country.
Efforts against the black market have also been lately ramping up, with two of the most recent notable examples of that being the designation of prediction markets platform Polymarket as an unlicensed gambling offer, and the bust of an affiliate promoting a large number of illegal gambling websites.
