Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has launched a €5m public funding programme aimed at strengthening national efforts to prevent and treat gambling addiction, marking the most significant public-health intervention undertaken by the regulator to date.

The initiative, titled “Conștient și Liber” (Aware and Free), was formally opened to public consultation on Monday. The consultation will remain open for 30 days and will inform the final structure of the programme ahead of a planned rollout in 2026.

ONJN confirmed that the funding framework will support projects focused on gambling harm prevention, treatment, education and research, as Romania continues to face growing political and public-health scrutiny over gambling exposure — particularly among young people.

€5m fund backed by ONJN revenues

The programme will distribute a total of RON 25.4m (€5m) and will be financed directly from ONJN’s own revenues, in line with Romania’s Gambling Law (OUG 77/2009).

Funding eligibility is restricted to initiatives that promote responsible gambling, protect vulnerable groups and address gambling addiction. ONJN has outlined a clear division in how funds will be allocated.

Approximately €1.2m has been earmarked for infrastructure projects, including the establishment, expansion or equipping of specialist gambling addiction treatment centres. These grants will be available exclusively to public authorities.

The remaining €3.8m will support a broader range of initiatives, including prevention and education programmes, protection of minors, counselling and treatment services, academic research, digital harm-reduction tools and national responsible gambling campaigns. This funding stream will be open to both public bodies and civil society organisations.

ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare described the programme as a landmark moment for the regulator.

“This programme represents a first in ONJN’s history,” Soare said. “It enables us to finally deliver on legal provisions that existed but had never been fully implemented.”

“We are launching for public debate the ‘Aware and Free’ programme, through which we will provide €5,000,000 in non-repayable funding for the implementation, by public authorities or NGOs, of programmes that are critically needed for Romanian citizens”. 

2026 rollout & actions

As part of the consultation process, ONJN is seeking stakeholder feedback on both the Methodology for the Evaluation, Selection and Financing of Projects and the Applicant’s Guide, which together set out eligibility criteria, assessment procedures and funding conditions.

Under the provisional timetable, project submissions are expected to open later this year, with the first funded initiatives scheduled to launch from April 2026.

ONJN has encouraged a wide range of stakeholders — including non-governmental organisations, public authorities, educational institutions, healthcare providers and recognised religious denominations — to submit proposals and observations during the consultation period.

The funding initiative comes amid heightened concern over gambling harm in Romania, particularly among young adults and minors.

Recent European-level studies have consistently ranked Romania among the countries with the highest exposure to gambling advertising for teenagers, placing it as the third most exposed market in Europe. Policymakers and public-health bodies have warned that early exposure, if left unaddressed, risks translating into long-term addiction, debt and wider social harm.

Vlad Soare: ONJN on frontline to tackle problem gambling

Reflecting on his tenure having been appointed as President of ONJN, Vlad Soare added: “When I took office six months ago, I committed to implementing measures that were mandated by law but remained dormant — from effective self-exclusion systems and stronger inspections to unlocking funding for prevention and treatment.”

“Today, we are taking a further step forward by putting the ‘Aware and Free’ programme out for public discussion and committing €5m in non-repayable funds to projects that Romania’s youth and vulnerable groups urgently need.”

Soare confirmed that this marks the first public funding call issued by ONJN and indicated that a second funding round could follow in 2026, subject to the programme’s performance.

ONJN scrutiny set to intensify in 2026

Despite ONJN returning to the centre of Romania’s gambling regulatory framework through a renewed enforcement push and the launch of its first large-scale harm-reduction funding programme, the authority is expected to remain under sustained political scrutiny throughout 2026.

Divisions persist within Romania’s governing coalition over the future direction of gambling regulation, with lawmakers holding sharply contrasting views on whether ONJN should be strengthened, restructured or fundamentally replaced.

The most outspoken criticism has come from the reformist USR party, which has called for ONJN to be disbanded and for Romania to undertake a comprehensive rewrite of the Law of Games of Chance. USR legislators argue that long-standing governance failures and regulatory blind spots have eroded confidence in the authority, requiring structural reform rather than incremental adjustments.

ONJN Director General Vlad-Cristian Soare has acknowledged the political fallout surrounding the regulator but has urged the incoming government to support his mandate, positioning his tenure as a corrective phase aimed at restoring transparency, credibility of enforcement and institutional trust.

Since taking office, Soare has prioritised the activation of long-delayed measures, including national self-exclusion systems, public registers, enhanced digital oversight tools and dedicated funding for prevention and treatment programmes.

Attention now turns to President Nicușor Dan, and the direction he will set on gambling policy as he seeks to unify a four-party coalition with fundamentally different approaches to industry governance.