Romania’s slot-machine authorisations fall sharply after local councils gain gambling veto

Romania’s land-based gambling sector is already feeling the effects of Emergency Ordinance 7/2026, the February decree that gave municipal councils the power to authorise or ban gambling halls. According to Profit.ro, 2,337 slot-machine stations were authorised between February and May 2026, compared with 18,981 in the same period a year earlier.

The contraction extends to the installed base and to state income. The number of authorised gaming devices in Romania has fallen from 45,659 in 2025 to 29,014, or roughly 64% of last year’s total. Authorisation fees paid by operators dropped from RON 485m (€92.5m) in February-May 2025 to RON 300m in the same months of 2026.

Under the new rules, operators must hold a national licence and secure annual approval from the local council in areas where gambling is still allowed. The requirement covers all land-based gambling except Romanian Lottery products and licensed sports betting, and reverses the previous system of central authorisation. The reduction is attributed more to market uncertainty around the new rules than to bans already in force, since only 90 of around 3,100 administrative-territorial units have passed decisions so far, with 35 banning gambling halls and 55 permitting them, according to Profit.ro. Restrictions are generally phased in, with existing venues allowed to run until their current licences expire, though some localities may enforce immediate closures.

Political drive and municipal responses

The ordinance follows years of resident complaints and a legislative campaign led by Diana Stoica, an MP for the Save Romania Union. “From now on, local authorities can clearly say ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” she said. Stoica described gambling addiction as a public health problem and said the previous framework treated gambling more leniently than other businesses: a flower shop needed city-hall permission, while gambling venues did not. She pointed to a Bucharest apartment building where six betting shops operated at ground level near schools, adding: “We are not in Las Vegas.”

Officials estimate more than 200 localities could pursue full bans, and at least nine cities have already signalled plans to do so. Iasi has become the first county to ban gambling halls entirely, with all 98 local councils voting against new licences and existing licences expected to lapse by the end of February 2027. In the southern city of Slatina, Mayor Mario De Mezzo said he was determined to eliminate all gambling halls as licences expire, calling such venues “toxic for society” and citing the suicide of a 27-year-old who lost large sums gambling. He rejected the loss of city revenue as a reason to hold back: “If saving even one life means postponing the paving of three streets until next year, it’s worth it.”

Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Cucu said he would consult the city council before deciding, suggesting venues could be limited to areas such as the Old Town. Parliament is separately debating further restrictions, including a ban on under-21s entering gambling halls, limits on online gambling advertising between 6am and midnight, a cap on losses at 10% of declared income and a prohibition on adverts aimed at children. Romania’s media regulator last year banned celebrities and influencers from gambling ads. The sector remains a multibillion-euro market that generated close to €1bn in state taxes in 2025, although official audits identified several million euros in uncollected revenue.