Radio România Internațional

Tag: gambling

  • Gambling, banned in small localities

    Gambling, banned in small localities

    Gambling will be banned in Romanian localities with less than 15,000 inhabitants, after the Chamber of Deputies, as the decision-making body, passed a bill on this matter on Tuesday. The measure, initiated by the Social Democratic Party, part of the ruling coalition in Bucharest, provides, among other things, for the establishment of a public register with the licensed operators, higher taxes for the organizers of this type of activity, but also fines of more than 40,000 euros for violating this restriction, confiscation of the amounts derived from illegal activities and even suspending the license of the companies in question.

     

    Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that, although the bill is more lenient than the initial draft, once it takes effect it will prevent 90% of Romanian localities from having gambling halls on their territory. Following Tuesday’s vote, the PM said in a post on the social media that the good old days of greedy people who sold illusions are over and that the government will continue to take action until things are under control.

     

    In his turn, the interim president of the Chamber of Deputies, the Social Democrat Alfred Simonis, said that this approach is only a first step towards limiting access to gambling. Alfred Simonis: “In Romanian villages there is no other form of entertainment, there are no malls, no swimming pools, but only these slot machines which are the only source of fun for these children. That’s where we have to start. After we give this blow and we see how the industry reacts, we will be able to make the law that completely removes these gambling halls from the cities.”

     

    The opposition parties, however, disapprove of the government representatives’ approach and accuse them of promoting their own project, for electoral purposes, given that the opposition’s initiatives on this matter have not been accepted for debate. MPs with USR and AUR also believe that the parties in power are blocking, in Parliament, the documents that also eliminate gambling from the big cities and ban advertising for gambling halls, because this industry sponsors their election campaigns. The leader of the USR group in Parliament, Ionuţ Moşteanu: “The hypocrisy of the PSD is admirable, given that, for a year, they have been keeping some projects blocked in the drawer. They will pass a project, wait to see how the gambling industry reacts and then decide if we go ahead. This means having gambling hall owners in control and not caring about the Romanians.”

     

    In 2022, Romanians spent nearly 2.4 billion euros on bets in casinos, gambling halls and online, some 15% more than in 2021. At the same time, the revenues of the operators in the gambling industry have increased by 40% in the last 5 years. (EE)

  • Ban on amusement arcades near schools

    Ban on amusement arcades near schools

    The law limiting access to gambling was unanimously adopted on Monday by the Romanian Senate, which is the first chamber to which the bill was referred. The document, initiated by the opposition Save Romania Union — USR bans the operation of amusement arcades near schools, playgrounds, cultural centers and hospitals. Senators from all political parties revealed the importance of this project, aimed at reducing the disastrous effects of gambling on minors. The interim president of the Senate, the liberal Alina Gorghiu, believes that the legislation in the field must be stricter and stricter.



    Alina Gorghiu: “The most important change is the fact that a ban was introduced on the operation of amusement arcades on a distance of 300 meters from educational units and institutions, playgrounds for children, culture, art, health and social institutions and banking and financial institutions. Secondly, an amendment was adopted which stipulates that these slot machines can no longer be functional in bars”.



    For his part, the USR senator Sebastian Cernic showed that while in Romania there are no programs for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction, the governments of other countries such as Belgium, Great Britain, Spain or Australia have drastically limited the exposure of young people to this risk. According to him, the document is probably the most important law for protecting the life and future of children.



    Sebastian Cernic: “We have to say Stop. It is necessary to clear the road to school or to the childrens playground of temptations and lies.”



    During the debates, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR senator Irina Kovács, a former high school director, stated that there are teenagers who unfortunately have become addicted to gambling only because these arcades are located near educational institutions.



    Irina Kovács: “We had cases of children who ended up developing addictions because the high school was surrounded by no less than five amusement arcades.”



    And the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR senator Rodica Boancă believes that such laws are necessary: “Gambling, drugs, alcohol consumption create vices that can endanger their life, that of the family”.



    In turn, the social democrat Radu Oprea believes that the draft law is a good initiative, but, unfortunately, it does not solve the problem of those who are addicted to gambling. Radu Oprea: “One of the good amendments is to remove slot-machines from bars and cafes, where young people can enter and where, if there is alcohol around, the idea of playing will definitely become more pressing”.



    After being adopted by the Senate, the bill will enter the debate of the Chamber of Deputies, which is a decision-making body. (LS)

  • March 13, 2023 UPDATE

    March 13, 2023 UPDATE

    Education – Almost a quarter of Romanias middle school pupils who should have graduated in 2021 never took the graduation exam. According to a survey published by the National Centre for Policies and Evaluation in Education, the main reasons for this situation are school drop-out, expulsions, migration and an incomplete academic record. In addition, several thousand pupils finished 8th grade but did not register for the national evaluation, while a few thousand registered but did not show up for the test. The authorities are considering measures to address the situation.



    Visit — On the occasion of his official visit to Vilnius, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Monday had a meeting with the President of the Parliament, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, in which context he conveyed his appreciation for the very good level of the Romanian-Lithuanian relationship and highlighted the positive dynamics of the bilateral dialogue at all levels. He also appreciated the positive evolution of trade between the two countries. Regarding the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the two officials assessed the multiple consequences of the conflict on the security situation in the vicinity of NATOs Eastern Flank. The preparation of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, due in July 2023, was also examined.



    Gambling – The Romanian Senate unanimously adopted a law limiting access to gambling. The document, initiated by the save Romania Union – USR (in opposition), provides for banning the operation of game rooms located less than 300 meters from educational institutions, childrens playgrounds, banking or non-banking institutions, art or health facilities. The Senate is the first Chamber referred to in this case.



    Moldova – The Moldovan authorities said they disbanded a network coordinated from Moscow that sought to destabilize the situation in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. The network was made up of groups of 5-10 persons who were supposed to create chaos at the protests that took place in the capital Chişinău this weekend. The groups were coordinated by someone from the Russian special services and were given instructions to destabilize public order using persons with dual citizenship, Russian and Moldovan, instructions that came from Moscow. The protests were organized by the political party of the controversial businessman Ilan Şor.



    Schengen – Romania is neither a source of migration, nor a transit country for migration, president Klaus Iohannis again emphasized. He is travelling this week to Bulgaria to discuss the Schengen accession with his counterpart in Sofia. We know how to protect our borders, but this is a European problem and its clear that we would also like to contribute to finding the best solutions, Iohannis also said. Bulgaria is making efforts to secure its borders with Turkey in collaboration with the European authorities and Turkey.



    New Delhi – Romania’s National Robotics Team “AutoVortex” won the first place at the international robotics competition in India and qualified for the World Championship in the USA. At the beginning of the month, the young Romanians also won the First Tech Challenge National Robotics Championship, which took place in Bucharest, and, at the moment, they are the best team in the world. They also broke the world record of points accumulated by a team in such a competition.



    Timişoara – As part of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” program, a concert will be held on Tuesday by the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra (Germany), under the baton of its main conductor, the Romanian Cristian Măcelaru. The event will take place at the Capitol Hall of the Banat Philharmonic. The program includes works by Johannes Brahms and Klaus Lang, a contemporary composer present for the first time on a Romanian stage. The channel Radio Romania Music, the specialized channel of the public radio station, will broadcast this concert live, starting at 7 p.m. local time.



    Hospital – The future Regional Emergency Hospital in Iași (northeastern Romania) will ensure continuous hospitalization with 750 beds, grouped in six medical centers, the Health Minister Alexandru Rafila announced on Monday. He also said that the design of the medical unit would be completed this month. Next the procurement procedure will be launched for the start of the construction works. Separately, there will be an intensive care unit for surgery, third-degree burns, transplant and neonatology medical services. The hospital will also have a specialized outpatient clinic and an emergency department. The total amount of the investment, excluding the VAT, amounts to 2.4 billion lei (approximately half a billion Euros), the completion date being 2027. Alexandru Rafila also said that the deadline for the completion of the design phase of the Cluj Regional Hospital (north-west) is April-May, and for the hospital in Craiova (south), November or December this year. (CM, LS)