Romania wants to decentralise gambling regulation
Romania’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan (pictured above), has unveiled a draft legislative measure that would allow local municipalities to decide whether to permit gambling establishments within their jurisdictions.
“It is not enough to authorise gambling at the national level,” Bolojan said during a press conference last week. “City halls must be able to establish areas, whether the whole city, a single street, a neighbourhood, or a resort like Mamaia, where, based on a special tax, they can determine the intensity of such activities.” His comments were reported by , a national daily.
Bolojan criticised the proliferation of gambling halls across Romanian cities, noting that local administrations currently have no tools to control their spread. “Mayors will decide if they need gambling and how many halls. Today, our cities are invaded by these gambling halls,” he said.
According to , the Prime Minister reiterated that the government intends to decentralise the authorisation of gambling: “There has been a lot of talk about gambling. We will come up with a provision that will decentralise the authorisation. Today local authorities have no competence in this field.”
Local mayors voice support
The announcement has been met with enthusiastic support from some local leaders. Nelu Popa, the mayor of Reșița in western Romania, said he would use the proposed powers to clamp down on gambling outlets in his city.
“Betting has become a scourge in Romania. A real drug that destroys destinies, especially those of young people,” Popa told , a regional news outlet. “I will completely eliminate gambling in central areas and near schools!”
According to Express de Banat, Popa also welcomed the broader decentralisation agenda announced by Development Minister Cseke Attila, who said the proposed law would give mayors the right not only to allow or ban gambling in their jurisdiction, but also to define where gambling venues may be located and to introduce a special local tax on operators.
“The local authority can decide to place these activities on certain streets or areas, according to local interest. Also, the local authority can decide to establish a special annual tax that will be paid by the licensed gambling operator that carries out the activity in this way,” the minister announced, as quoted by the local media.
However, “if there is the acceptance of the local authority, the activity can continue under the law,” he added.
A tightening regulatory climate
In recent years, Romania has been moving toward increasingly restrictive regulation. On 4 July, the government approved a significant fiscal package that raises taxes across several sectors, including gambling. Online operators will now pay a 27% tax on gross gaming revenue, up from 21%, while retail operators will face a 23% tax. Slot machine operators will also see an increase in their annual authorisation fees.
Meanwhile, players themselves are subject to a new 4% tax on all winnings, applied at source, and with no minimum threshold. Critics warn that these tax hikes could push more players toward the black market, undermining the government’s stated goals.
The package is part of a push to close Romania’s budget deficit, which stands at 7% of GDP. Between 2019 and 2023, the country lost nearly €1 billion in gambling-related tax revenue, in large part due to regulatory failures by the National Gambling Office (ONJN), according to an official audit cited by Profit.ro.
Last year, the Romanian parliament also passed a law banning gambling venues in towns with fewer than 15,000 residents, marking what some politicians called the first serious legislative move against the industry in three decades.
