2024-04-10 03:11:11
The Romanian Parliament today adopted a draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party, which provides for the removal of gambling halls from settlements with up to 15,000 inhabitants, reports Digi 24 TV, quoted by BTA.
The law was voted today in the Chamber of Deputies in its capacity as a deciding body with 243 votes “for”, 4 “abstentions”, and two deputies did not vote.
The broadcaster notes that after rushing through parliamentary committees, the Social Democrats’ ambitious initial project, banning gambling halls in all urban areas, resulted in a much milder form of the law, in which gaming machines are only removed from urban areas with under 15 000 inhabitants.
In the form approved by the Senate, the project envisaged that the arcades with gaming machines would be moved to the periphery of all cities in Romania, that is, at least 50 meters from the borders of the settlement.
The opposition, for its part, accused the two parties of the ruling coalition – the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Liberal Party (NLP) of “giving in to the gambling industry”, notes Agerpress.
“Today, Romania could have gotten rid of the spinning wheels. However, the SDP and the NLP said no. (Prime Minister) Marcel Çolaku must publicly explain why he gave in to the spinning wheel industry,” the leader of the opposition Union for the Salvation of Romania wrote on his Facebook page. Romania (SSR) Catalin Drula.
He added that the SSR draft laws, which the Social Democrats and Liberals refused to vote on, would have removed slot machines from all populated areas, banned advertising and increased fines for those who allow minors to play.
“We have a petition signed by 80,000 Romanians who support the package of anti-rotating laws. Instead, Marcel Cholaku has told this industry that it can rest easy, the government will not disturb it,” Drula noted.
He pointed out that “all Romanians are affected by this phenomenon – both the millions of Romanians who live in the big cities and those who live in settlements with less than 15,000 inhabitants, the addiction to gambling knows no geographical boundaries and does not distinguish between populations places”.
The temporary chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Simonis of the SDP, for his part, indicated that this was “a first step, a first victory against the slot industry, which in the coming days will have to close its gaming halls in over 90 percent of the settlements in Romania”.
“Although it is not enough, although there is still a lot to do, once this law comes into force, it will be better than now. Now it is a ‘no man’s land’, everyone can do what they want and open (gambling halls) wherever and as much as he wants,” Simonis also commented, quoted by Digi 24.
In his words, it is about “a strategy so that we can break this extremely powerful financial industry”.
“We are currently fighting an industry that has a turnover amounting to 10-12 billion euros, they have the best lawyers, the best specialists, we were constantly told that the law is unenforceable, that we cannot close anything because they have a license , rental contracts, etc.,” Simonis also pointed out, quoted by Agerpress.
He added that he is committed to adopting more regulations on this topic in the coming period.
In October of last year, Prime Minister Marcel Çolaku announced the adoption of a government regulation, according to which companies engaged in gambling activities must necessarily have their headquarters in Romania. At the same time, the prime minister pointed out that the adoption of a draft law in the parliament, which provides that the arcades with gaming machines will be moved outside the populated areas, is pending. Cholaku stressed that he would continue with plans to reform the sector and assured that he was not afraid of “threats from the gambling industry”.