The Romanian Parliament has approved a series of stringent measures targeting the gambling industry, including a ban on slot machines in small towns and rural areas.
Officials voted in favor of an emergency government decree with amendments that notably impacted gambling regulations. Under the changes, slot machines are now restricted to cities with populations exceeding 15 thousand people. This effectively prohibits operators from establishing gambling establishments in sparsely populated regions across the country. The decree has already come into effect.
According to Romanian law firm Simion and Baciu, the limitations on slot machine usage could pose additional challenges for the land-based gambling sector. The firm's press service highlighted that the amendment would have a significant impact on the market. "The coalition of lawmakers is keen to observe how the industry reacts to these changes before potentially implementing further restrictions on land-based establishments," Simion and Baciu stated.
