Romania’s gambling authority, the ONJN, has begun reviewing and revising national gambling legislation.
The gambling office noted the need to address a variety of “outdated” regulations that have created fragmentation and inconsistencies across the sector, but it did not specify exactly what changes it will make.
The official statement makes it clear that the overhaul was directly mandated by ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, who was appointed on 21 August 2026.
“The President of the ONJN has modified the composition of the working group responsible for drafting regulatory acts in this sector, with a mandate to analyze and harmonize existing legislation,” the ONJN stated.
The end goal – which at this point has no deadline – is a revised legislature that better corresponds to the current state of the local industry and the ONJN’s supervisory and control responsibilities, “bringing order to the entire regulatory framework”.
The ONJN is in need of stability
Tomescu took office in early August, replacing ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare, who held the reins for just over a year after his appointment in April 2025.
However, the transition was far from smooth, adding more controversy to a regulator marred by scandals dating back to 2025 and continuing deep into 2026.
Looking back through the timeline, starting with the most recent events, Tomescu was appointed in August on the order of Romania’s President to replace Soare, an unexpected turn of events that left the ex-ONJN chief with no explanation, according to Soare himself.
In July, reports came out that the now-former Deputy Director General of the ONJN, Ana-Maria Badea, became a person of interest in a corruption probe where ONJN officials had allegedly received bribes to act in certain operators’ favour.
Badea’s case followed another high-profile headline from the same month, where Odea Nestor, ONJN President between 2013 and 2017, was brought into custody over an alleged €100,000 bribe facilitated between an ONJN official and a Bulgarian gambling operator.
Soare has distanced himself from both cases. Speaking to the media in light of the allegations against Badea, he said: “It is an important and necessary step to have a credible institution. For me, the institution’s integrity is a priority. ONJN must operate with zero tolerance towards acts of corruption.”
Lastly, Soare joined the ONJN to bring order out of chaos after an audit found that nearly €1bn in gambling taxes was missing for 2019-2023, which led to the resignation of Soare’s predecessor.
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