The Cluj-Napoca Local Council bans gambling in physical locations

The Cluj-Napoca Local Council approved on Friday, September 4, 2026, a ban on slot machines and other gambling activities conducted in physical locations across the municipality. The draft decision was adopted with 24 votes in favor and one abstention from voting, eliminating this type of activity from the city.

The new decision does not apply immediately to the poker club in Cluj-Napoca. The municipality has granted a one-year period after the expiry of the license currently in force. During this period, the activity will be monitored, and the authorities will assess its impact on the community.

The exception was justified by the differences between poker and slot-machine games. In poker, participants make successive decisions, use strategies and take risks, while the outcome of slot-machine games is determined randomly by the machine.

Mayor Emil Boc said that he lives near the club and has not noticed any problems or disturbances in the neighborhood so far. He said he would directly monitor developments during the observation period.