It has been four years since Romania has succeeded in its attempts to legalize the gambling activities but surprising or not, the country has not allowed a foreign operator provide products and services of Romanian territory so far. What is the reason that has led to the standstill and what can be done for improving the situation?
According to a number of market experts, what makes Romania unappealing gambling destination is the high tax, the gambling providers have to pay. However, that is not the only reason that has caused the current situation. The members of the European Commission have expressed their resentment towards the restrictions, concerning the free trade. The critics made the Romanian authorities reconsider the existing laws and impose the changes that could make Romania appealing to investors and gambling operators.
The changes that might be implemented, include making the high taxes more bearable and extending the period of validity of the licenses.
Currently, every gambling operator can obtain a license, allowing them to operate on Romanian soil no more than 5 years. If the proposal passes, the period will be extended to 10 years. Apart from reputable gambling operators, licenses will also be awarded to assessment organizations, which are somehow involved in gambling. Plus, a tax, equal to 0,1% of the cash game revenue has been put forward. If the proposal is approved, the taxes, the Romanian residents pay, will also be reduced.
Several gaming experts consider the report, issued by the Budget Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, to be encouraging and the authorities hope that the amenities can be officially announced before November 16th when Romanians have to vote for a President.
That is not the first time when changes in the gambling policy of Romania have been suggested. Although players are hopeful that the changes will take effect soon, those who have long-term memory hurried up to remind that the country was supposed to have its gambling rules refined an year ago but unfortunately, the proposal didn’t pass and now, they remain pessimistic about the upcoming changes.
However, the current situation is slightly different than last year’s. Now, politicians are interested in implementing the changes needed because they have finally realized that halting the development of the local gambling industry doesn’t do any good to the economy. Once they let the gambling sector grow, they can expect increased annual revenue, which can be extremely helpful, bearing the complicated political situation in mind. The fact that no foreign gambling operator is available on Romanian territory, indicates that urgent actions have to be taken and all the flaws in the gambling regulations figured out as soon as possible.
The proponents of the upcoming changes are truly convinced that this time, the proposal will pass and the Romanian gambling sector will flourish.
