Romanian Government Reveals Its Agenda for Betting and Gambling Industry

Stricter admission requirements, more taxes, less advertising space

Bucharest, Romania (October 6, 2023) – According to local media outlets hard times are approaching for betting offices, casinos, arcades and other players in the industry known in Romania under the colloquial collective term “Păcănele” (English: Daddelautomaten). The government is after its huge profits and also wants to reduce its status due to social problems.

German-language daily newspaper Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania ( ADZ ) reported the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu explained before the adoption of a relevant emergency regulation, operating companies must be registered in Romania. According to Ciolacu, he wants to get rid of the situation in which betting offices rake in billions in Romania but ship the winnings outside the country or even the EU. The government is significantly increasing license fees and limiting the advertising space that companies in the industry are allowed to buy, the head of government announced.

But it’s about more than economic aspects: It’s not normal for the betting industry to have so much power – during the pandemic it “sat at the government’s table”, today it “threatens politicians, fires journalists, and buys the protection of the leadership a foreign company that runs two large newspapers in Romania.” Ciolacu was referring to the situation at Libertatea and Gazeta Sporturilor, which belong to the Swiss media company Ringier (the ADZ reported on October 5th).

According to new regulations, annual licenses will become more expensive, while alcohol consumption in arcades will be banned. According to a draft from Tuesday, outdoor advertising for betting and games should be limited to 35 square meters. 70% of the fees go to the state treasury, with the remaining 30% being used by the gaming authority to finance, among other things, programs against gambling addiction.

SOURCE: The Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania ( ADZ ).