Romania's Senate passes bill to tighten regulations for street gambling and betting shops

The gambling and betting shops in Romania will no longer operate in the centre of the cities, will be licensed in a number proportional to the population and will be limited to a number of 20 gambling seats per unit under a draft bill passed by the Senate that tightens the regulations for this industry.

The gambling and betting shops will operate within a limit of 50m from the border of a locality, G4media.ro reported. Furthermore, such shops will not operate at 300m or closer to educational, cultural or religious objectives.

Licenses will be issued by the local administration in a number that will not exceed a license for every 20,000 residents. No permit will be issued for localities with less than 5,000 residents.

The bill will also be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case.

Allowing minors to enter a gambling establishment will be a misdemeanour punishable by a fine between RON 100,000 and RON 200,000 (EUR 20,000-40,000). For the second violation of this kind, the license is suspended for six months, and for the third violation, the license is cancelled, and the operator in question cannot obtain another for three years.

(Photo source: Welcomia/Dreamstime.com)