Will the UK authorities seek to copy Romania’s gaming hall reforms?

With the Westminster discussion over the number of gambling outlets on the British high street intensifying, a recent power change in Romania could be a harbinger of retail regulation to come.

Romania's government has approved an emergency decree that gives municipalities in the country the right to limit or ban gaming centers and betting shops, powers similar to those demanded by local councils on UK high streets.

More than 200 communities will have a greater say in how prominent the gambling sector can be under new laws confirmed at the end of last month, adding an extra layer of licensing that used to only exist at a national level. 

Already, at least four cities have announced plans to outlaw gaming. They are Brăila, Ploiesti, Slatina and Iasi.

“We are going to make Slatina the first city without gambling dens,” Mario de Mezzo, the Mayor of Slatina, announced when the ordinance was passed. 

"When the Ordinance adopted last nite is published in the Official Gazette, at the first meeting of the Local Council I will propose to eliminate from the municipality of Slatina all gambling halls and gambling dens. Slatina Municipality Will Not Have Any More Gambling Dens “Not a one.”

The UK: A way forward?
The powers being devolved to local councils in Romania will be of great interest no doubt to their equivalents in the UK.

Councils around the UK have complained in the last year about the ‘Aim to Permit’ provision set forth in the Gambling Act 2005, which states that councils must accept gambling facilities licences.

The mandate is being targeted at the most vulnerable parts of the country with the introduction of new adult gaming centers (AGCs) and betting shops on the UK high street, opponents of the mandate have said.

“More than 50% of applications for adult gaming centers are in the most deprived areas in the country,” stated Keith Cuncliffe, deputy leader of Wigan Council, at a recent council meeting. 'It's people from poorer places wanting to increase their income, to win money.

“Research shows that those in deprived areas are more than twice as likely to develop an addiction to gambling. What we need to do is give local authorities a hell of a lot more authority over these facilities.”

There should be a stronger emphasis on a cumulative effect assessment and greater pressure on applicants to demonstrate there is a need and demand for new venues, Cunliffe said.

High-profile politicians including the Labor MP Dawn Butler, who has spearheaded the Take Back Control of Our High Streets campaign, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has signed a letter to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport calling for greater powers for local councils, have echoed his calls.

Reform in Romania will be seen by advocates of change as an example of how new legislation might assist deliver the control local councils want in the UK.

More reforms in Romania
Emergency measures aside, Romania’s decision makers have their eyes on bigger reforms concerning the gambling business.

The measures include raising the gambling age to 21, restricting online gambling advertising to between 6am and midnight and limiting losses to 10% of declared income.

Advocates for raising the gambling age say it would be the “simplest measure to restrict gambling at the most fragile age” and give young adults a “window of emotional and financial maturation.”