The city council of Timișoara has enacted a unanimous decision to ban new gambling halls within its boundaries. Mayor Dominic Fritz announced this new measure on Tuesday, indicating that current establishments will be allowed to continue operating only until their licenses expire, anticipating closures by next year.
“This decision is now official: gambling halls can no longer be authorised in Timișoara,” Mayor Fritz remarked on Facebook. He also elaborated that the council’s collective vote resulted in a complete prohibition of such venues.
Despite this restriction, lottery services administered by Romania’s National Lottery will continue as the only form of permitted gambling in the city. Currently, there are 173 authorized gambling venues in Timișoara; these will be phased out as their central licenses, overseen from Bucharest, reach their expiration dates, which is projected to occur by 2027.
Local authorities hold the reins on these decisions. According to local media, the president of the Timis County Council revealed in April that the funds previously allocated to regulate gambling hall activities will be redirected towards enhancing educational infrastructure, which includes modernizing schools and kindergartens.
This move follows a Romanian government directive from earlier this year that shifted the responsibility of gambling licensing to local authorities. Under the newly granted powers, councils can veto the establishment of new gambling venues and choose to ban gambling altogether if they see fit.
In 2024, the Romanian government also imposed a ban on slot halls in towns with populations under 15,000, along with strict zoning and advertising regulations. The number of slot machines operating in the country has steeply declined, from 80,000 to 36,000.
In 2025, the total market value of physical gaming was reported to be approximately €1.67 billion, accounting for about one-third of Romania's total gambling market, according to H2 Gambling Capital data.
