Senate of Romania. Photo: Inquam Photos / George Călin
The Senate on Tuesday adopted the draft law initiated by the USR that simplifies the self -exclusion procedure from gambling. According to the legislative project, ONJN is obliged to have a large self -exclusion button on the site for those who want to block their access, and the applications will have to be processed within two days. Operators are obliged to process applications within one day, USR explained in a press release. The project now goes to the Chamber of Deputies, for decision.
According to the draft law adopted by the Senate, self-exclusion can be requested either for gambling operators or directly at the National Gambling Office (ONJN), including online, by a button dedicated to the ONJN website.
The persons who demonstrate that they have self-expanded have the right to return, within a maximum of 48 hours, the amounts played during the self-exclusion period, based on a request submitted to the operator (physical or online).
The project also introduces a minimum period of 12-month “cool-off” for those who opt for indefinite self-exclusion
ONJN will be obliged to publish data on processed requests, to ensure transparency, and operators will have the obligation to provide players with information and addiction treatment.
“We do justice to the tens of thousands of Romanians whose rights have been violated. We simplify the self -exclusion procedure and impose harsh sanctions,” said Diana Stoica, USR deputy. The project is also signed by Allen Coliban and Sebastian Cernic.
According to Agerpres, the draft law passed by the Senate with 118 votes “for” and eight “against”.
Over 14,000 Romanians have made self -exclusion requests for gambling
An investigation by Snoop has shown that most betting companies and game rooms do not comply with self -exclusion legislation. Although there is a legal framework that allows players to request the prohibition of access to gambling, in practice the applications are difficult to processed, and the supervision is weak.
OnJN officials have acknowledged that they received over 14,000 self -exclusion requests, but many of them are still being validated. The database with self -contacted players is transmitted manually, by email, to operators, and ONJN employees check each request before sending it, a process that can take days. “Only today I received 100 requests,” said Gheorghe Gabriel Gheorghe, the president of the ONJN, for the SNOOOP, specifying that the institution is overwhelmed by the large volume of requests.
Snoop also revealed that the authority is preparing a unitary platform that allows automatic blocking to games for self -excluding persons.
And the National Bank pointed out that, in Romania, most online card payments are made to bookmakers and casinos, with an estimated value at 2.5 billion euros a year, Romanians continue to participate in online gambling with a 10 -fold intensity than for our economy, the Golazo.ro sports site revealed.
