Moldavian Parliament Discusses Casino Law

According to Moldavian news, the country’s parliament is discussing a change to gambling laws.

Should the amendment to Moldavian gambling laws go through the Parliament, casinos could be moved outside big cities. Members of Parliament have put forward a number of drafts on how to address the growing problem of gambling in the country.

One of the law proposals will see casinos and gambling halls moved out of large shopping centers, railway stations, cinemas, and other places of gatherings. The same draft is aiming to change the opening hours of gambling establishments to 10.00-23.00 period. Other points of the draft proposal include a total ban on all gambling advertising.

Another, more restrictive proposal, aims to move casinos outside big cities. The Moldavian government vowed to thoroughly investigate all proposals and come up with a decision by the end of 2014.

Why the sudden interest in gambling industry?

Currently, there are over 15 casinos and a large number of other gambling halls in the capital Chisinau. Although there are all taxed under the current law, the enforcement of those taxes is somewhat relaxed. In the course of recent inspections by tax authorities, almost all casinos received heavy fines due to various inconsistencies. Virtually every gambling hall was found to be breaking the law, and barely paying taxes.

This was one of the main reasons the Mayor of Chisinau used to explain his intentions to oust the casinos from the capital and other big cities. Similar taxation problems are stemming from online casinos in Moldova, whose operation is barely regulated and thus almost not taxed at all.

Chisinau’s Mayor, Dorin Chirtoaca, said: “The current situation is unacceptable. While casinos are somewhat controlled and standardized, the gambling halls are a totally different story. They do not provide anything except for negative effects. We live in one of the poorest European countries, and gambling halls are making our people even poorer. Such establishments should be banned”.

The final word would be of course said by Moldavian Parliament. The decision and any possible change to the current gambling laws is expected not earlier than the end of this year.