An interactive map showing towns and villages that can legally ban gambling, following a government emergency ordinance has been released on Tuesday.
The map, published by the Save Romanian Union (USR) shows the places which can shut casinos and betting shops as per the ordinance at the end of February.
So far only one town, Zarnesti, central Romania, has said it will ban gambling, following a decision by the local council.
Lawmakers Diana Stoica and Ovidiu Romulus Paraschivescu presented the map, seen below.
“The USR has a signed pledge urging all mayors and local councilors to ask local council decisions to ban these places,” Diana Stoica said at a press conference on Tuesday at the Parliament.
“Now that the Government gives power to mayors and the Local Council to choose how to protect communities from slot machines, we have to see if it is applied,” Romulus Paraschivescu added.
Those who access the map can see how many gambling halls each town and village has. Data is provided by the National Gambling Office (ONJN).
What the Government has changed
By the end of last month, the law obliged companies that carry out gambling activities to obtain a national authorization. Through an emergency ordinance adopted on February 24, the Government introduced, in addition to the national authorization, the obligation of an operating authorization from the local public administration authority within the radius of its activity.
Since then, several mayors, such as those in Brăila, Ploiesti, Slatina, Iasi, announced that they will ban gambling in their city.
The measures come in the context in which the Chamber of Deputies is to decide, as a decision-making body, whether or not to approve two laws on gambling. One of the proposals increases the age from which someone can enter casinos from 18 to 21 years old and the second prohibits the display of any betting advertisement between 6:00 and 24:00. The two laws passed last month by the Senate
The gambling has grown in recent decades, with an estimated 12,000 bingo halls, sports betting centers, and casinos across the country. However, there are also concerns about gambling addiction and social harm.
There are no reliable figures on how widespread gambling addiction is in Romania. A 2016 report indicated that some 100,000 were under the grip of compulsive gambling.
