FEDBET Warns Romania Slot Machines Could Fall 80% as Councils Stall on Permits

The Federation of Romanian Gambling Organisers (FEDBET) warned on 10 November 2026 that Romania slot machines with a valid authorization could fall about 80% from March levels, to 9,096 by 1 January 2027, because fewer than 4% of local councils have adopted the decisions required under Emergency Ordinance 7/2026.

FEDBET, led by president Alexandru Domșa, attributes the decline to a licensing deadlock between city halls and the national regulator. All figures below are FEDBET's own counts, estimates and projections.

How far could the slot machine count fall?

FEDBET projects roughly 9,000 authorized machines in early 2027, about 80% below the March level. The figure assumes no council decisions and no new authorizations arrive before the year ends.

The baseline matters. Measured from March, the projected fall is about 79%. Measured from 1 November, the drop to 9,096 is about 42%, which matches FEDBET's description of a 42% decline over two months. FEDBET frames the 80% as a count of machines and locations, and its release gives no separate venue total.

Why are local authorizations stuck?

FEDBET says the blockage comes from Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 7/2026. According to CasinoReviews.net, the ordinance was a February overhaul that made local authorization a requirement alongside national approval, left it to councils to decide whether gambling is permitted in their area and gave them 60 days to adopt rules.

That deadline expired in April. FEDBET says fewer than 4% of Romania's roughly 3,100 administrative-territorial units (UATs, the country's local government areas) have adopted the required decisions. It adds that industry requests to city halls have gone unanswered.

The consequence runs in two directions, according to the federation:

• City halls cannot issue local authorizations without a council decision.
• The National Gambling Office (ONJN), Romania's gambling regulator, cannot renew operating authorizations without those local documents.

As existing authorizations expire, nothing replaces them. CasinoReviews.net also reported that 2,337 new slot positions were authorized from February to May 2026, down 88% from 18,981 a year earlier.

Gamingo traced the origins of the problem in The Local Council Gamble. Some localities have gone further than inaction: in July, Iași became Romania's first county to eliminate slot machine venues.

What does FEDBET say it costs the state?

FEDBET puts the state's loss at about €320 million, with most of the decline coming from August onward. It estimates that about 8,500 jobs have been affected.

The Finance Ministry's draft 2026 budget revision includes a RON 750 million shortfall in gambling-tax receipts. FEDBET says that line covers specific gambling taxes only, mainly authorization fees, and reflects receipts collected before the mass expiries.

The budget angle follows a year of fiscal pressure on the sector. Gamingo has covered the debate over Romania's proposed 40% jackpot tax, and the regulator's own enforcement and clean-up work over the past year.

What does FEDBET want from the Government?

FEDBET is asking the Government and Parliament to adopt urgent transitional rules. Under its proposal, operators that meet the legal conditions could keep operating until local council decisions are adopted. The federation says it is not asking for tax relief.

Domșa's central argument is that closing licensed venues does not end play. In his words, "gambling does not disappear, control does." FEDBET also cites EU figures of a 72% online black-market share, turnover of nearly €92 billion and about €22 billion of state losses in 2025.

What operators should watch

• Any emergency ordinance or parliamentary amendment that sets transitional rules for expiring authorizations.
• Local council agendas, since each adopted decision allows authorizations to resume in that UAT.
• Whether the budget revision draft changes its gambling-tax assumptions.
• ONJN publication of valid slot authorization counts as the 1 January 2027 date approaches.

Status reviewed on 11 November 2026. The key figures are FEDBET estimates and projections from its 10 November release, as reproduced by Romanian media. More regulation news and EMEA coverage.