Timișoara has taken a decisive step against land-based gambling, with the local council unanimously voting to block any new gambling halls and allowing existing venues to operate only until their licences expire.
The decision, announced by Mayor Dominic Fritz, means the city’s current gambling halls are expected to gradually disappear, with the majority of existing licences due to expire by 2027.
173 venues on the way out
Timișoara currently has around 173 authorised gambling venues. They will not be shut down immediately, but will be allowed to continue operating until their existing licences, issued under the previous national framework, reach their expiry dates.
Once those licences expire, the venues will not be renewed under the city’s new policy.
The only gambling-related activity set to remain available is Romania’s National Lottery, meaning lottery outlets will be exempt from the ban.
Local councils gain more power
The move comes after Romania transferred greater responsibility for gambling licensing from central authorities to local councils earlier this year.
Under the new framework, local authorities can decide whether gambling venues should be permitted in their jurisdictions — or blocked altogether.
Timișoara has now used that power for a full ban on new gambling halls.
The change follows several years of tighter gambling controls in Romania. In 2024, the government introduced restrictions targeting slot-machine venues in towns with fewer than 15,000 residents, alongside stricter zoning and advertising requirements.
A major market being reshaped
The decision comes as Romania’s land-based gambling sector remains economically significant. Brick-and-mortar gaming generated around €1.67 billion in annual revenue in 2025, representing roughly one-third of the country’s overall gambling market, according to H2 Gambling Capital.
At the same time, the country’s slot-machine footprint has already fallen sharply, from around 80,000 machines to approximately 36,000.
Timișoara’s decision could therefore become an important test of how far local authorities will go now that they have greater control over gambling in their communities.