The Romanian government will close legislative gaps in order to protect the gambling market from unlicensed activity and related risks.
On Tuesday, the authorities approved a package of reforms introducing “remedial and efficiency measures” to Romania’s Law on Games of Chance.
The amendments came into force on 18 December 2025. They are intended to ensure that licensed operators and suppliers cannot indirectly facilitate access to unregulated gambling, while also strengthening the state’s ability to monitor player activity and platform operations.
At the heart of the reforms are “stricter conditions for Class II B2B licence holders”, including software developers, platform service providers, hosting companies and payment processors. Under Law 239/2025, B2B companies are prohibited from providing services to unlicensed B2C operators where all three of the following conditions are met simultaneously:
- gambling content is offered in Romanian;
- deposits or withdrawals are permitted in Romanian leu or other currencies, including cryptoassets;
- access is provided to Romanian players without holding a valid ONJN Class I licence.
This framework replaces the previous “any condition” interpretation, which exposed suppliers to potential liability even in cases where their services were not specifically targeting Romanian users.
Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner of Bucharest law firm WH Simion Partners, noted that the revised structure reflects a more balanced and targeted approach to enforcement.
Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner of Bucharest law firm WH Simion Partners, said the revised structure signals a more deliberate enforcement approach.
“The authorities have shifted from being permissive to being proactive in enforcement,” Simion said. “By applying these criteria cumulatively, the law clearly separates legitimate cross-border business from activity that effectively supports the black market.”
The law significantly expands the “scope of B2B compliance obligations”. Licensed suppliers are now required to proactively block access where Romanian players are detected using unlicensed platforms and to immediately notify the unlicensed operator to remedy the situation.
Simion described the change as the creation of a “compliance partnership” between regulators and licensed suppliers.
“This reform establishes a compliance partnership model between B2Bs and the regulator,” she explained. “Licensed suppliers are effectively being deputised as gatekeepers within the Romanian system. ONJN is clearly seeking cooperation, not passive compliance.”
Liability and Sanctions for Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with these obligations is now classified as a criminal offence, punishable by six months to two years’ imprisonment, criminal fines, and the potential revocation or dissolution of the offending company.
According to Simion, the reforms combine tougher sanctions with long-needed legal clarity.
“While enforcement is undoubtedly stricter, the law also removes ambiguity,” she said. “Previously, there was uncertainty over whether indirect suppliers could be punished simply for having clients operating elsewhere.
“Liability now arises only where a B2B knowingly enables unlicensed gambling that is accessible from Romania.”
Recognising the role played by “payment processors, software hosts and platform providers” in controlling traffic and transactions, the government has extended regulatory oversight to these segments.
These entities now carry affirmative duties to block access and report non-compliant partners.
“There is now shared responsibility at every level of the gambling value chain,” Simion explained.
“From software developers to payment processors, all parties are expected to ensure Romanian players are channelled exclusively through licensed operators. That alignment of responsibility is essential for long-term market integrity.”
The reforms also modernise monitoring requirements. From January 2026, all slot machines and VLT terminals must be equipped with geolocation systems capable of identifying their precise location in Romania – whether in operation, storage, transit or maintenance.
The change replaces the previous requirement for a stand-alone GPS device.
Simion described the update as a necessary step toward European best practice: “This goes beyond technical housekeeping,” she said. “Integrated geolocation gives ONJN a continuous digital inventory of gaming equipment – a control mechanism already used by most European regulators.”
The law also removes references to Romanian citizens without foreign fiscal residence, simplifying the interpretation of fiscal and compliance obligations for both operators and players. The change eliminates criteria that had proved difficult to apply in cross-border contexts.
For WH Simion Partners, the broader picture is one of consolidation rather than structural reinvention.
“Law 239/2025 is not an overhaul so much as a consolidation,” Simion concluded. “It closes the blind spots that made the previous regime difficult to enforce and redefines the relationship between ONJN and the industry.
“Romania’s gambling system is now moving toward shared accountability – where compliance is not just a licensing condition, but a joint operational responsibility.”
The Romanian gambling system is moving toward a model of shared accountability, where compliance is not merely a licensing condition but a joint operational responsibility,” Simion concluded.
Political Context of the Reforms
Romania enters 2026 amid growing political pressure on President Nicușor Dan to authorise a broader overhaul of the Law on Games of Chance (2009, revised in 2015). Gambling regulation remains an active and contentious area of public policy.
The legislative push follows governance and audit shortcomings at the ONJN, which have drawn sharp criticism from ruling coalition parties and intensified calls for institutional reform.
A number of initiatives are currently being debated in Parliament. Among them is a proposal backed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) to raise the legal gambling age to 21. The measure is directly linked to concerns over youth gambling, with Romania ranking among the top three European countries for teenage exposure to gambling.
At the same time, the USR party continues to push for the dissolution of the ONJN, arguing that trust in the regulator has been irreparably damaged. The party is calling for a comprehensive restructuring of gambling governance, including licensing oversight, advertising controls, and market supervision.
On the fiscal front, the new government has opted for continuity rather than relief. Authorities have confirmed that the increase in online gambling licence taxes from 21% to 30%, introduced in August 2025, will remain in force. This was accompanied by the introduction of new tax thresholds on player winnings, marking the sixth consecutive year of increased tax pressure on Romania’s gambling sector.
Taken together, these political, regulatory, and fiscal factors suggest that Law 239/2025 is likely only the first stage of a broader reform cycle, one that could fundamentally reshape how gambling is regulated, taxed, and enforced in Romania over the next parliamentary term.
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