Romania announces new strategy on gambling harm

The government will create eight regional centres for the treatment of addictions.

Romania.- The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has promulgated a decree to create a new strategy to tackle addiction, including gambling harm. Drafted by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice, the decree proposes eight regional centres for the treatment of addictions, one in each of the country’s eight administrative regions.

The strategy is intended to resolve treatment inadequacies for drugs, alcohol and gambling addictions, particularly among under 25s. Currently, treatment options are mainly offered by private clinics and NGOs. The Ministry of Justice will oversee the project, but it has no timeline as yet.

Minister of Justice Alina Gorghiu said: “I’m glad that the party I belong to, PNL, has initiated this law because in Romania the state has not properly treated these major problems that are especially serious among the young generation.”

Romanian MPs have raised concerns about gambling addiction. However, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s executive order banning gambling venues in small towns hit a snag when the Supreme Court ruled that it required a constitutional review.