Slatina Mayor Mario De Mezzo told AGERPRES on Wednesday that he will promote a Local Council resolution to ban gambling activities in the municipality and that the removal of gaming halls from the city will be carried out gradually, as existing authorisations expire.
"In accordance with the new provisions, carrying out activities in physical locations is conditional upon obtaining an operating authorisation issued by the relevant local public administration authority. At the same time, a new article has been introduced which explicitly stipulates that the Local Council decides, by resolution, whether gambling activities may or may not be carried out within the administrative-territorial unit. In this context, immediately after the normative act is published in the Official Journal, at the first meeting of the Slatina Local Council I will initiate a draft resolution by Mayor Mario De Mezzo regarding the prohibition of gambling activities within the municipality. For existing and authorised operators, the new legal framework grants the local authority the right to decide whether or not to issue operating authorisations within the municipality, which allows for the gradual elimination of these activities from the city, in accordance with the law," Mario De Mezzo explained.
The Mayor of Slatina mentioned that an analysis is currently being carried out regarding the revenues generated from the taxes and duties related to these activities, but that "the position of the local administration remains firm: the public interest, the health of the community and the protection of families take priority."
The mayor's initiative to eliminate gambling halls from Slatina will be promoted within a "very short" time after the legislative amendments adopted by the Government on Tuesday enter into force.
Mario De Mezzo also said on Wednesday, in a message posted on Facebook, that Slatina will be "the first city free of slot machines."
"Slatina will be the first city free of slot machines. Once the ordinance adopted last night is published in the Official Journal, at the first Local Council meeting I will propose the elimination from the municipality of Slatina of all gaming halls and all slot machines. (...) How much do the lives of children, spouses and fathers cost, lives that are destroyed by slot machines? For me these lives are priceless. The health of the city is more important to me and slot machines will be permanently removed from Slatina," Mario De Mezzo said in the message posted online.
Through the Emergency Ordinance on public administration, the Government amended the regulations concerning the organisation and operation of gambling activities. The obligation was introduced for licensed operators to obtain, in addition to the national licence, an operating authorisation from the local public administration authority in whose territorial area they carry out their activity.
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