Bucharest, Romania, November 3, 2026. Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN) has launched a comprehensive review of legislation governing casinos, sports betting, and iGaming following the identification of outdated provisions, legal inconsistencies, and supervisory deficiencies. The reform, ordered by ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, aims to restructure the legal framework governing licensing, authorizations, and enforcement.
Tomescu, appointed on August 21, 2026, through Decision No. 284, signed by then-Prime Minister Ilie-Gavril Bolojan, reorganized the working group responsible for drafting regulatory provisions. Its mandate includes identifying overlapping rules, harmonizing legislation, and strengthening the authority’s supervisory powers.
Ilie-Gavril Bolojan
The review could cover Emergency Ordinance 77/2009, Romania’s principal gambling regulatory framework; Emergency Ordinance 20/2013, which governs ONJN’s organization; and Government Decision 111/2016, which establishes implementation procedures. However, no specific legislative amendments, new tax rates, penalties, or implementation dates have been officially announced.
The initiative follows an audit by Curtea de Conturi, Romania’s Court of Accounts, which examined regulatory oversight deficiencies between 2019 and 2023. The institution identified RON 78.86 million in authorization fee discrepancies and RON 37.18 million in interest and penalties, totaling approximately RON 116.05 million. Industry reports also highlighted potential fiscal exposure approaching €1 billion, an estimate that does not represent a definitively established tax liability.
Cristinela Odeta Nestor
The restructuring follows the departure of Vlad-Cristian Soare, who had served as ONJN president since April 2025, and anticorruption investigations disclosed in July 2026. Those implicated include Ana-Maria Badea, a former deputy director general investigated over alleged payments of €2,500 linked to licensing procedures. Another investigation concerned an alleged €100,000 bribe associated with former ONJN president Cristinela Odeta Nestor, who headed the authority between 2013 and 2017.
The regulator is also pursuing digitalization initiatives, administrative restructuring, and gambling addiction prevention measures. The legislative working group has not yet announced a public timetable, while supervisory activities and efforts to recover outstanding fiscal obligations continue.
