Iași has become the first Romanian county where all 98 local administrations have approved the removal of slot-machine venues. The final authorised machines will leave the market by February 2027. The decision, reported on 22 July 2026 and announced by the În Stradă Civic Initiative Group on 17 July, began in Miroslava and concluded in Pașcani; Mayor Marius Pintilie abandoned the alternative of relocating venues to the outskirts.
The change was enabled by Emergency Ordinance OUG 7/2026, published in Official Gazette No. 146 on 25 February. It inserted Article 18¹ into OUG 77/2009; every local council can prohibit land-based gambling or require an annual municipal permit, designate operating zones and impose fees calculated per square metre, in addition to the national licence.
Marius Pintilie
Existing permits issued by the National Gambling Office, ONJN, remain valid until expiration. Vlad-Cristian Soare chairs the regulator. The ordinance was signed by then-Prime Minister Ilie-Gavril Bolojan and countersigned by Development Minister Cseke Attila-Zoltán and Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare.
In Iași city, Mayor Mihai Chirica introduced the proposal on 3 March. After consultation ended on 16 April, all 27 councillors unanimously approved Resolution HCL 155/2026 on 27 April.
It covers slots, betting shops, casinos, poker and bingo; only the traditional lottery operated by Loteria Română is exempt.
Vlad-Cristian Soare
The city currently retains 773 active slot machines, compared with 105,818 authorised gaming devices nationwide. In March, it reported 2,127 machines, approximately 150 gaming halls and 30 betting agencies; the figures represent different registry snapshots. HCL 156/2026 established a transitional annual fee of RON1,000 per square metre.
More than 7,400 signatures collected by În Stradă and Comunitatea Declic, alongside Paul Ciobanu, drove the campaign. Local Police and the Municipal Property Operations Directorate will enforce the resolution. No individual operator or casino was identified; the municipal prohibition does not cover online gambling.
