Unpredictability doesn’t end when we want it to, but responsibility can start now
Increased annual taxes, increased taxation, regulations on “undesirables”, money to the Cultural Fund, banning of advertising, closure of gambling halls by increasing the distance to schools, churches, some of these measures we are already enduring, others are still in parliamentary debate, the fact is that the end is not here.
SORIN GEORGESCU, PREȘEDINTE ROMSLOT
In a very short time, immediately after the pandemic crisis, gambling was confronted with a series of measures or legislative proposals, most of them without consultation of specialists or industry representatives, others necessary. The reality is that the unpredictability is not over and we should not be surprised if new measures are announced, more or less feasible, more or less crazy or more realistic.
The economic crisis, generated by the pandemic, has led to another crisis, one of legislative measures affecting the economy, with measures that are supposed to be life-saving, but which are being taken both under the pressure of the global economic situation and the election campaign.
What can we do? What all industries should do: find stability in an unpredictable legislative and economic environment.
How can we do this? By remaining vigilant and being convinced that it is not over, that there is at least one more year to go in which gambling must do business responsibly and not fall into chaos induced by the external context.
Gambling will not disappear, because it has been an entertainment that people have used since ancient times, whether it was betting or playing the lottery. The desire to relax by trying your luck has always existed and will always exist, in one form or another, people will play with luck. The important thing is to see how many of us will survive and how many will understand that we have to be prepared for anything, and even be one step ahead. An industry that is constantly self-regulating is harder to destabilise.
What we know very well is that there is a risk that all these measures will lead to an increase in crime, lead to the development of the black market, and that means being doubly vigilant.
Addiction specialists talk about integrated addiction prevention and treatment centres, constitutionalists talk about over-regulation, about laws made without respect for the Constitution, economists talk about the rise of organised crime and the black market, industry talks about the struggle for survival, sportsmen and media talk about financial risks to their fields, much of it supported by us. And everyone is right.
But if we are all right, that does not mean that the legislator cannot take the measures it deems necessary, it does not mean that we should remain passive just because we are right.
ROMSLOT
The economic market and its evolution, the impact on our business, stability or predictability are not elements of justice. They are about the truth of the figures and how we make them work in our favour, through transparency, self-regulation, responsability, unity. And if we don’t know what to expect, let’s at least know what not to expect. We don’t expect them to be like us, just because we’re right, but we do expect our voices to start to count, when they speak with responsibility.
