Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) intensified enforcement during its first year of operation, according to its April 2025–April 2026 report. Under expanded powers granted by a new legislation, the regulator ordered the removal of more than 60 pieces of illegal content and blacklisted over 300 websites.

Over 11,000 inspections were conducted by ONJN.  Taxation and gross gaming revenue (GGR) across land-based and online operators were investigated, revealing that 7,000 were physical venues, while 3,500 focused on online platforms. This resulted in fines of €1.5 million ($1.75 million) for land-based operators and €240,000 ($281,328) for online operators, totalling €2.7 million ($3.1 million), according to media reports.

Authorities also announced seizing or disabling 260 devices and filing 70 criminal complaints related to unpaid taxes and GGR manipulation, leading to the cancellation of 60 licences. This is reported to be the country’s largest crackdown yet on illegal gambling.
 

Responsible gambling programme

Recently, the regulator initiated its first state-funded responsible gambling programme, “Aware and Free” as part of its player protection mandate.  €5 million ($5.6 million) has been allocated to the budget, covering prevention, treatment, and research. This represents a major step toward safeguarding vulnerable players.

Law 141 (2025) significantly impacts the country’s gambling sector. Among the key changes are the issuance of removal orders for illegal content and the requirement of monthly reports from Class II operators. These reforms supported the blacklisting of more than 300 websites and the issuance of 60 removal orders.​
 

Regional impact and compliance

Measures have been more prominent, such as stricter inspections, fines, and licence revocations, to deter unlicensed operators and reduce risks for players. ​Criminal complaints targeting tax evasion and revenue manipulation further reinforce compliance.​

Romania’s model, which features digital registers and QR-coded gaming machines, have been described as a “unique European mechanism” that could influence other EU regulators. This is part of the traceability requirements for land-based gaming equipment, which are unique in Europe and designed to prevent manipulation and ensure transparency.​

Moreover, ONJN is aligning with other EU jurisdictions in their anti-black-market strategies. ONJN, for one, now mandates that software providers, payment processors, and platforms ban unlicensed operators. Regulators in the EU are also tightening enforcement, raising taxes, and decentralising oversight to balance revenue generation with player protection. ​
 

Addressing self-exclusion backlog​

ONJN also addressed the backlog of self-exclusion requests from 54,000 new registrants, proposing a unified framework with stricter ID verification requirements, cooling-off periods, and tougher penalties for operators who fail to fulfil their responsible gaming obligations.

But two cities have led in banning slot machine gambling. Iași is the first major city to fully prohibit it, citing growing concerns like addiction and social harm. Sibiu is another one and aims to do the same. It is currently waiting for the current licences to expire. Other municipalities are also joining the bandwagon toward the decentralisation of gambling policy, according to media outlets.

ONJN’s first-year report highlights a decisive shift in Romania’s gambling regulation: stronger enforcement, expanded compliance measures, and community-driven restrictions. With initiatives like “Aware and Free” and municipal bans, Romania is positioning itself as a regional model for balancing industry oversight with player protection.

 

 

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