Politic-Social

A large city in Moldova has decided to ban slot machines. "It is a huge step for our community," said the mayor of the city. The city of Bacau is banning slot machines. Specifically, during the meeting on April 1, the city's local councilors voted to ban gambling activities in physical locations. The draft decision was adopted based on new legal provisions that allow local administrations to make decisions regarding these activities. 22 local councilors were present at the meeting. Of these, 19 voted to ban slot machines within the city of Bacau. The decision adopted on Wednesday stipulates that no gambling activities in physical locations will be allowed to operate within the city of Bacau. Once this measure enters into force, any request submitted by operators in this field will be rejected by the municipal authorities. "For economic operators who, on the date of entry into force of this decision, hold a valid operating authorization, issued by the National Office for Games of Chance, based on which the activity is carried out in physical locations within the territory of Bacau Municipality, the prohibition (...) shall apply from the date of expiry of the authorization period, not taking into account any possible reauthorizations or extensions," states an article in the draft decision. After the vote, the mayor of Bacau, Lucian Daniel Stanciu-Viziteu, described the decision as "a huge step" for the community. "We succeeded! Gambling activity is prohibited in physical locations within the municipality of Bacau. This is a huge step for our community, which shows that we want a healthy future for Bacau. I thank the local councilors who acted responsibly today and agreed with my proposal to close the activity in these physical locations in the city," the mayor wrote in a Facebook post. He added that the physical locations "will gradually close, as the authorizations of the devices expire. That is why, employees will have the necessary time to look for alternatives." Those who will carry out gambling activities after the expiration of their operating authorizations will be sanctioned with fines between 4,000 and 5,000 lei. In March of this year, Slatina became the first city in Romania to ban gambling halls and sports betting.