Europe is hurting for money right now, as most of the countries in that area are buried under a mountain of debt and are suffering from a devalued currency and a workforce hit by big unemployment numbers. During the hard times, governments look for new ways to make money and one such way that has been popular lately is gambling.

Countries that do not regulate and tax gambling are basically letting the industry occur within their nation without benefiting from it. Even places where it’s prohibited, people find a way to play their favorite games, whether it’s an underground establishment or an internet casino.

Two eastern European countries could soon turn to a regulated online gambling industry as a way of generating much-needed revenue. Last year, Romania amended their gambling laws to increase the tax and saw a jump in revenue from gambling. The secretary of their Finance Minstry, Bogdan Dragoi, said that they “are looking into ways to regulate online gambling, and, if we manage to control money collection, we will authorize them.”

Right now, Romania doesn’t ban online gambling, but they don’t regulate and tax it, either. That means Romanian citizens are free to spend lots of money at online casinos but the government can’t generate revenue from it. Additionally, though online gambling is legal, the country does not allow Romanian companies to open online casinos.

Romania’s neighbor to the east, Moldova, is also considering a move toward regulating online gambling. Many citizens participate in online gambling and Moldova is considering awarding licenses to online casinos so they can generate tax revenue from the industry. In addition, Moldova’s Ministry of the Economy has asked the European Union to modify their gambling laws, creating a more suitable climate for online gambling in the region.

Tags: European online gambling, European Union online gambling, internet casino, Moldova online gambling, Online Casino, online gambling, Romania online gambling, Romanian online gambling