The new president of Romania’s Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN), Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, has launched a comprehensive review of the regulator just three weeks after taking office, focusing on digitalization, staffing, internal controls and gambling addiction treatment, amid audits, anti-corruption investigations and mounting scrutiny over market supervision.
Tomescu was appointed on August 21, 2026 by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, through Decision 284/2026, published in the Monitorul Oficial. On the same day, Decision 283/2026 removed Vlad-Cristian Soare, who had served as president since April 2025. The ONJN presidency carries the rank of secretary of state.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan
On September 14, Tomescu said his first weeks had been devoted to reviewing staffing structures, ongoing projects, administrative workflows and operational weaknesses. The first measure will be the rollout, by late September, of a digital document registration and management system covering petitions, correspondence, applications and response-deadline tracking.
ONJN also acknowledged a staffing shortage and said future management appointments will be based on competence, experience and accountability for results. Another priority will be the creation of a national gambling addiction prevention and treatment program, including professional assessment, counselling and referral to specialized institutions. As of September 2026, no budget or launch date has yet been published.
The review follows an audit by the Curtea de Conturi a României, which identified weaknesses in online gambling supervision and RON78.86 million in authorization-fee discrepancies, plus RON37.18 million in interest and penalties.
The Direcția Națională Anticorupție (DNA) is also investigating alleged bribery inside the regulator. In July, then-Deputy Director General Ana-Maria Badea was accused of allegedly receiving €2,500 to speed up approvals. Tomescu also inherits a market under fresh pressure, from August 1, 2026, the tax rate applicable to online gambling increased from 21% to 27%, while OUG 7/2026 expanded the role of municipalities in authorizing land-based gambling venues.
