The Timișoara local council has made a significant move by unanimously voting to ban the authorization of new gambling halls throughout the city. Mayor Dominic Fritz announced this decision on Tuesday, indicating that existing gambling venues will be allowed to operate only until their current licenses expire, with anticipated closures by next year.
On his Facebook page, Mayor Fritz confirmed, "This decision is now official: gambling halls can no longer be authorised in Timișoara." He expressed that the local council's ban had achieved total agreement among its members.
Despite this closure of gambling halls, lottery services provided by Romania's National Lottery will continue to operate, remaining the sole gambling-related service permitted.
Currently, there are 173 authorized gambling venues in Timișoara, which will gradually close as their central licenses, issued and regulated from Bucharest, run out, expected by the year 2027.
Local authorities hold the power to make these decisions. In April, the president of the Timis County Council mentioned that funds previously used for overseeing gambling halls would be redirected towards enhancing educational infrastructure, including modernizing schools and kindergartens.
The Romanian government had previously transferred the authority to license gambling to local governments, allowing councils to veto the establishment of new gambling venues and even decide on outright bans.
Earlier in 2024, legislation was passed to prohibit slot machine establishments in towns with populations below 15,000, alongside stringent zoning and advertising regulations. The total number of slot machines in the country has plummeted from 80,000 to 36,000.
In 2025, the market value for brick-and-mortar gaming reached approximately €1.67 billion annually, accounting for about one-third of the overall gaming market, as per data from H2 Gambling Capital.
