Romania’s ONJN Reports Progress On Gambling Oversight Reforms

Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN) has made progress in strengthening its regulatory controls and oversight of the country’s gambling industry, according to findings from the Romanian Court of Auditors.

The assessment follows significant criticism of the regulator after an earlier audit identified more than €900 million in gambling taxes missing from ONJN’s records. The findings contributed to changes at the top of the authority, with Vlad-Cristian Soare taking over its leadership in May 2025 and pledging to improve transparency and regulatory effectiveness.

ONJN Strengthens Operator Monitoring

Among the areas highlighted by the Court of Auditors was the monitoring of monthly declarations submitted by land-based gambling operators. Such controls were found to have been absent in 2024, but ONJN has since reviewed declarations covering the previous five fiscal years and initiated procedures to recover outstanding amounts where necessary.

The regulator has also opened investigations into suspected manipulation of gross gaming revenue by several online operators. Oversight of iGaming licensees had previously been considered insufficient, prompting ONJN to work alongside Romania’s Digital Authority on the development of a real-time metadata analysis system designed to identify suspicious transactions and financial discrepancies.

Changes have also been made to the regulator’s approach to responsible gambling funding. The Court of Auditors had previously raised concerns that ONJN’s Responsible Gambling Promotion Service was collecting funds despite having no recorded problem gambling campaigns, but a new state programme has subsequently been established to direct money towards prevention and treatment projects.

The first recipients under the programme are expected to receive a combined €5 million in funding, forming part of ONJN’s wider efforts to strengthen the country’s approach to gambling-related harm.

Self-Exclusion System Modernised

ONJN has also progressed with the modernisation of Romania’s self-exclusion infrastructure, overseeing the development and introduction of a fully digital system. However, existing legislation continues to restrict the scheme’s implementation across online gambling operators.

To address the issue, ONJN has proposed an Emergency Ordinance intended to accelerate the legislative changes required to expand the system. The regulator views the reform as part of a broader programme covering financial oversight, illegal gambling enforcement and player protection.

Commenting on the Court of Auditors’ findings, Soare said: “We are not just talking about administrative responses to some findings, but about concrete changes: controls on the last five fiscal years, recovery of differences due, monitoring of online operators, combating the black market, financing addiction prevention and treatment programs and transforming self-exclusion into a functional and digitalized system.

“There are still things to be done, but the changes are visible, the problems are identified, the measures are underway, and the results can be verified. ONJN is in a broad process of transformation and re-credibility, but I assure you that there are also officials who are making great efforts to achieve our objectives.”