Casinos Closed Down in Bucharest for Debts

In the meeting of July 29, the Committee for Authorization and Regulation of Games in the Ministry of Finance decided to close down five casinos and one betting agency.

The decision is not final. If they seek new licenses, the companies must pay hundreds of millions of lei (thousands of dollars) plus all due debts with interest. Sources in the Ministry of Finance said the decision was made because the companies owed taxes to the state. The six companies are: Regency Plazza ltd, Imperial Club ltd, Empire International Game Order ltd, all three from Bucharest, and TransEurolines from Iasi, Belogia ltd from Timisoara, and the betting agency Galaxy in Bucharest.

Sources in a Bucharest casino said that most companies complied with the decision, but not the Nevada Casino, which is still open at the Plazza Venue. Sources in the Romanian Police Directorate General said to Jurnalul National that checking on the legality of operations inside casinos does not fall into the police line of work, but into that of the Financial Guard, the Ministry of Finance and of the Committee for Authorization and Regulation of Games.

Only when the civil servants in the Ministry of Finance come across illegal activities or economic crimes inside a casino or a betting house, the police comes into action and the Office for Investigation of Frauds inside the Police Directorate General puts up a criminal file, explained those police sources.

A reporter of Jurnalul National checked on Casino Nevada and found out that it was due to open for business as usual, at 8:00 p.m. Still, the people that do not comply with the decision passed will commit a crime under the law and are likely to end up in police custody, official sources explained.