Romania will begin its review of federal laws and standards related to gambling advertising as of the beginning of January 2026.

At the close of 2025, the Senate of Romania authorised a series of legislative proposals to allow advertising reforms to be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies and associate committees.

The decision was authorised to allow Parliament to settle on new advertising rules/legislation by early 2026. A fractious issue in which the Senate has received wide ranging proposals from multiple parties.

Among the key measures under discussion are the prohibition of street-level gambling advertising, stricter time-based restrictions on online and broadcast promotions, and the alignment of gambling advertising standards with broader consumer-protection and digital-media laws.

The Chamber of Deputies will serve as the decisional body, with debates expected to resume once the next parliamentary sessions open in February.

The reforms are viewed as the first stage of a wider overhaul of Romania’s Law on Games of Chance, a regulatory framework that has come under mounting scrutiny following a series of high-profile governance failures in 2025.

Proposed measures include raising the national gambling age from 18 to 21, submitted by the Liberal Party under a legislative mandate titled “Protecting the Age of Innocence.”

Elsewhere, coalition member Save Romania Union (USR) has endorsed a comprehensive package of amendments calling for a ban on untargeted advertising and sports sponsorships, alongside restrictions on online gambling promotions between 06:00 and 00:00.

The USR continues to advocate for the complete overhaul of the sector, including the dismantling of ONJN, the National Gambling Office of Romania, following what it describes as “systemic governance and auditing failures that have lost all trust in the regulator”.

Additional proposals focus on introducing local-authority approvals for gambling licences and harmonising the national self-exclusion system across online and land-based venues, a directive that ONJN aims to complete by the first half of 2026.

The ONJN maintains its position as Romania’s central regulatory authority for gambling. Last week, President Vlad Soare published a programme and open letter outlining ONJN’s key objectives for 2026, prioritising the heightened enforcement of existing laws and the modernisation of core regulatory systems.

Soare highlighted that the regulator had made notable progress in improving transparency and accountability in 2025 but conceded that it remains uncertain whether such measures would ease political anxieties around gambling oversight.

Acknowledging the ongoing scrutiny, Soare reiterated his support for a comprehensive reform of Romania’s gambling legislation, urging policymakers to collaborate on a “coherent and efficient framework” to replace what he described as “a morally outdated Gambling Law.”

2026: Pivotal Moment 

Legal observers agree that the months ahead will be pivotal in shaping Romania’s long-term gambling policy. There is growing consensus that 2026 could mark a turning point in the modernisation of the market.

However the government needs to settle on its regulatory principals/priorities as gambling licences demand a sense of stability and sustainability that has been neglected due to continual changes since 2018.

Commenting on the developments, Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner at WH Simion & Partners, said: “Romania is entering a phase of regulatory consolidation in the gambling sector, including in relation to advertising rules. The Senate’s decision on street and public advertising reflects a broader effort to strengthen the legal framework and introduce more measures focused on player protection.

“Looking ahead to 2026, the emphasis is on creating a stable and transparent regulatory environment that promotes responsible gambling, supports a sustainable market for licensed operators, and helps limit the growth of the illegal market.”