The coordinator of the Council of the ruling coalition Vlad Plahotniuc, who is the founder of Edelweiss Foundation, in the June 28 meeting of the Council proposed drastically regulating the work of casinos and gaming halls, mainly in order to protect the young generation from the noxious influence of vices related to gambling. The intention is explained in a message on the Facebook page of the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, which is entitled “It’s time to protect the children from games of chance”, IPN reports.
“In the meeting of the ruling coalition’s Council, we presented the situation in this regard to our colleagues and agreed to think up a plan of action for eradicating this noxious phenomenon in the near future. We will suggest the political solution and the necessary legislative amendments, while our colleagues from the Government will come with a plan of action in their area of competence. I made public this initiative because I know that every time the work of casinos and gaming halls is to be regulated, groups of interests appear and start to exert pressure so as to keep particular benefits, including for committing illegalities. I want these groups to know that this time I will personally become involved and, together with colleagues from the ruling coalition, we will bring things in order. So, they should not lose energy and time in vain to avoid the regulations in this field,” said Vlad Plahotniuc.
According to him, the debates are welcome. Those who work in the field should submit constructive proposals. The regulation must be transparent. “But the final goal is to protect the children from this vice at an age when they cannot yet limit by themselves some negative effects on them. The security of children must be a priority for us and I hope that the business entities operating in this area will agree with this,” stated the politician.
Vlad Plahotniuc explained that he commissioned a study of the way in which the casinos and gaming halls work and of their impact on children to professionals. “I commissioned this analysis after Edelweiss was informed about a dramatic case, when a 15-year-old teen became involved in gambling and borrowed money and did other foolish things to be able to gamble. We helped this family, but ascertained that this is not a separate case, but is a phenomenon that grows in size. The gaming halls appeared like mushrooms after rain lately, mainly on the first floors of apartment buildings and in all kinds of improper places that are dangerous for teens. Furthermore, the law is not respected. It is the owners who are to blame, but also the authorities that do not intervene to determine if children are allowed to gaming halls and if the age limit is obeyed. Until the control system is fully reformed, we must work to prevent such phenomena that are very dangerous for children,” he said.
He noted that they thus decided to work with the colleagues from the Government and find a formula for drastically regulating the activities of casinos and gaming halls and to work out legislation to prevent the placement of these facilities in areas where the minors have access to them and to make the legislation in the field clearer, as in other European countries.
