Valeria Nikolova, BNR, 19 March 2026
Table of contents
Summary
Here is a summary of the main points of the 19 March 2026 conversation between Valeria Nikolova and Vladimir Mitev regarding the new gambling regulations in Romania. In Romania they are suspending the issuance of licenses for gambling halls.
Reform and the role of local authorities
An emergency ordinance is currently in effect in Romania that transfers control over gambling establishments to local authorities, which in turn are suspending the issuance of licenses for gambling halls. A national license alone is no longer sufficient; casinos and betting shops require an operating permit from the respective local authority. This allows local authorities to:
- To restrict locations to certain areas.
- To completely ban gambling activities within their territory (as the municipality of Slatina has already done).
Enforcement mechanism and economic impact
The change will not lead to the immediate closure of all venues, but will occur gradually, through the non-renewal of annual licenses. Over 40 municipalities across the country are already discussing similar measures.
On the other hand, the gambling industry (through the FedBet federation) warns of serious economic consequences:
- Budget losses amounting to 700 million euros (and up to 1.3 billion euros in related industries).
- The risk of losing 30,000 jobs.
- The danger of gambling moving into the gray market.
Social Context and Regional Parallels
Vladimir Mitev emphasizes that gambling is particularly widespread in so-called “Deep Romania”—poorer areas in economic decline (such as Petroșani), where betting halls, currency exchange offices, and second-hand clothing stores are the main visible businesses.
The mutual exchange of experience between Bulgaria and Romania is interesting:
- Romanian authorities and media have been following Bulgaria’s restrictions on gambling advertising in recent years.
- Currently, Bulgaria is curious about the Romanian model of decentralized regulation, which results in some local authorities suspending the issuance of licenses for gambling halls.
Interview
Valeria Nikolova: A campaign to ban casinos and slot machines is gaining momentum in Romania. As reported in the online edition of the newspaper “Dnevnik,” due to an emergency order issued by the Romanian government, the operation of gambling halls is becoming increasingly difficult.
In addition to the national license, casinos must now also obtain an operating permit from the local public administration authority where they operate. This allows municipalities to restrict gambling halls and slot machines to certain areas of the city or even ban their operation.
To discuss the example set by Romanian authorities in combating gambling addiction and the parallels we can draw with Bulgaria, we invited our colleague, journalist Vladimir Mitev, from the Romanian editorial team at Radio Bulgaria, to comment on this topic. We now welcome him to the program “Horizon Until Noon.”
Vladimir Mitev: Hello.
Valeria Nikolova: Let’s start first with the legislation adopted on 24 February 2026. Enough time has passed to see the first effects of these decisions by the Romanian authorities.
Vladimir Mitev: Yes, first we have the case of a municipality—Slatina—which has banned these gambling activities within its territory. In addition, many other municipalities, such as Petroșani, some along the Danube, and others across the country, are discussing similar measures, and a decision will likely be made soon. Various documents are currently being drafted to enable a decision to be made regarding the implementation of such a ban.
Indeed, this decision allows for the consideration of stricter forms of control at the local level. In Timișoara, for example, and in Cluj-Napoca, an assessment will be conducted to determine the best policy—whether to impose additional taxes or to introduce bans on the gambling industry.
Valeria Nikolova: Are there already gambling halls that have been closed or relocated?
Vladimir Mitev: Here I need to make a small clarification. The principle that seems to be guiding the action is that licenses will not be renewed (local authorities will be suspening the issuance of licences for gambling halls – note of the translator). Currently, gambling halls have one-year licenses, but from now on, decisions will be made not to renew them. In other words, we won’t see an immediate expulsion of these companies. Rather, the process will be gradual, but the policy is already very clearly moving toward not renewing licenses, since these must also be approved at the local level.
And here it would be interesting to mention a map that our listeners can look up online to see how this process is unfolding, as there are already some places where the decision has been made not to renew the licenses.
On the other hand, in over 40 localities across Romania, processes and discussions are underway, and decisions will be made soon. Of course, many areas do not yet have such a movement, but perhaps one will emerge if voters or certain public interests demand it.
Valeria Nikolova: What do you see in these more aggressive actions on the part of the Romanian authorities?
Vladimir Mitev: What I find interesting is that the current government decree is linked to the legislation that the “Save Romania” Union has been proposing for some time. The “Save Romania” Union is part of the “Renew Europe” group in the European Parliament, which we know also includes Emmanuel Macron. This is the liberal group.
This leads to the conclusion that, at the European level and, generally, across all procedures within the European Union, there is a push for stricter regulation. I believe this can be said without hesitation about other countries as well—that, lately, regulatory authorities have become more active regarding gambling. It seems there is a certain understanding that these are linked to maintaining certain addictions in people, similar to the tobacco industry. It won’t be banned, but there will likely be certain measures aimed at preventing the negative aspects associated with it.
Valeria Nikolova: Yes, and to understand the seriousness of the issue, let’s also clarify just how significant the presence of gambling halls is throughout Romania.
Vladimir Mitev: Here I would say two things.
One is purely visual—anyone traveling in Romania can observe, if they go to a smaller town, in so-called “deep Romania,” that in many places there are such gambling halls. I can give Petroșani as an example. This is a mining town where certain measures are being considered, as I mentioned. Petroșani is the central town of the Jiu River valley, where mines are gradually closing and people are losing their livelihoods.
And in Petroșani, there are three types of businesses if you walk through the city center. One of them is currency exchange offices—that is, obviously, people come from other countries where they work and exchange currency. The second type is second-hand clothing stores, which is telling of the area’s economic state. And the third type is betting shops or betting halls.
My Romanian friends joke that every Romanian village is guaranteed to have an Orthodox church and a gambling hall. This again refers to “deep Romania,” which, in principle, is poorer. In Romania, we see differences—there are wealthy cities, but there is also a Romania that is poorer, and different economic processes take place there. There is a concentration of this business there…
And perhaps it would be interesting to discuss the reaction of the industry itself, of the gambling companies, given that they have expressed their position.
Valeria Nikolova: Yes.
Vladimir Mitev: It’s interesting that they aren’t so opposed to regulation itself when it’s applied at the local level. Perhaps they hope that, in some localities, the decision will still be made to develop this sector.
But they emphasize that the direct losses to the budget, if such a ban is introduced, will amount to 700 million euros. And together with the related industries that will suffer, the total will be approximately 1.3 billion euros. In fact, they emphasize that 30,000 jobs will have to be cut if this process continues. They argue that people’s desire to gamble is a primal instinct, almost a human need, and if it is not offered in a regulated and accessible manner, then it will begin to be offered outside the legal framework, which will likely be worse. This is a statement from FedBet—the Federation of Gambling Organizers in Romania.
Valeria Nikolova: And to wrap up our discussion, let’s put the gambling business in a regional context, as well as the connection with Bulgaria.
Vladimir Mitev: I think it’s interesting for our listeners that, just as we are now closely following what is happening in Romania regarding the regulation of this industry, in recent years the Romanian media has been closely following what is happening here. This ban, which was introduced two years ago in Bulgaria, or certain restrictions on advertising by gambling companies, resonated in Romania and sparked discussions. And just as we try to follow their example in certain respects, so too in Romania do they look to the Bulgarians and say: “If the Bulgarians are doing this, it means we can adopt certain ideas as well.”
For me, this is an interesting case where there is clearly an interconnection between the two societies. We can also see companies from the business sector that are present in both countries. We are certainly connected, and this is recognized in both Romania and here, to a certain extent.
Valeria Nikolova: Thank you very much for this analysis. My colleague, journalist Vladimir Mitev, from the Romanian editorial team at Radio Bulgaria.
Photo: (source: Pixabay, CC0)
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