The government of Romania stated that it has closed legislative blind spots to safeguard the gambling market against unlicensed activities and further liabilities.

On Tuesday the Gazette announced that the government has authorised a legislative package of reforms to impose “redress and efficiency measures” on the Law of the Games of Chance of Romania.

The amendments, which enter into force on 18 December 2025, are designed to ensure that licensed operators and suppliers cannot indirectly facilitate access to unregulated gambling, while strengthening the state’s ability to track both player activity and platform operations.

Closing B2B liabilities

At the centre of the reform are “stricter conditions for Class II B2B licence holders”, including software developers, platform service providers, hosting companies and payment processors.

Under Law 239/2025, B2B entities are prohibited from providing services to unlicensed B2C operators that cumulatively meet all three of the following criteria:

• offer gambling content in Romanian;
• allow deposits or withdrawals in RON or other currencies, including cryptoassets;
• allow access to Romanian players without holding a valid ONJN Class I licence.

This cumulative framework replaces the previous “any condition” interpretation, which had left suppliers exposed to potential liability even where their services were not actively targeting Romanian users.

Cosmina Simion, Managing Partner of Bucharest law firm WH Simion Partners, said the revised structure signals a more deliberate enforcement approach.

“The authorities have shifted from being permissive to being proactive in enforcement,” Simion said. “By applying these criteria cumulatively, the law clearly separates legitimate cross-border business from activity that effectively supports the black market.”

A new compliance partnership

The law significantly expands the “scope of B2B compliance obligations”. Licensed suppliers are now required to proactively block access where Romanian players are detected using unlicensed platforms and to immediately notify the unlicensed operator to remedy the situation.

Simion described the change as the creation of a “compliance partnership” between regulators and licensed suppliers.

“This reform establishes a compliance partnership model between B2Bs and the regulator,” she explained. “Licensed suppliers are effectively being deputised as gatekeepers within the Romanian system. ONJN is clearly seeking cooperation, not passive compliance.”

Failure to comply with these obligations is now classified as a criminal offence, punishable by six months to two years’ imprisonment, criminal fines, and the potential revocation or dissolution of the offending company.

According to Simion, the reforms combine tougher sanctions with long-needed legal clarity.

“While enforcement is undoubtedly stricter, the law also removes ambiguity,” she said. “Previously, there was uncertainty over whether indirect suppliers could be punished simply for having clients operating elsewhere.

“Liability now arises only where a B2B knowingly enables unlicensed gambling that is accessible from Romania.”

Oversight on payment transactions 

Recognising the role played by “payment processors, software hosts and platform providers” in controlling traffic and transactions, the government has extended regulatory oversight to these segments.

These entities now carry affirmative duties to block access and report non-compliant partners.

“There is now shared responsibility at every level of the gambling value chain,” Simion explained. 

“From software developers to payment processors, all parties are expected to ensure Romanian players are channelled exclusively through licensed operators. That alignment of responsibility is essential for long-term market integrity.”

Accountability on IP traceability

The reforms also modernise monitoring requirements. From January 2026, all slot machines and VLT terminals must be equipped with geolocation systems capable of identifying their precise location in Romania — whether in operation, storage, transit or maintenance.

The change replaces the previous requirement for a stand-alone GPS device.

Simion described the update as a necessary step toward European best practice: “This goes beyond technical housekeeping,” she said. “Integrated geolocation gives ONJN a continuous digital inventory of gaming equipment — a control mechanism already used by most European regulators.”

Consolidation but no overhaul

The law also removes references to Romanian citizens without foreign fiscal residence, simplifying the interpretation of fiscal and compliance obligations for both operators and players. The change eliminates criteria that had proved difficult to apply in cross-border contexts.

For WH Simion Partners, the broader picture is one of consolidation rather than structural reinvention.

“Law 239/2025 is not an overhaul so much as a consolidation,” Simion concluded. “It closes the blind spots that made the previous regime difficult to enforce and redefines the relationship between ONJN and the industry.

“Romania’s gambling system is now moving toward shared accountability — where compliance is not just a licensing condition, but a joint operational responsibility.”

2026: Drama continues to unfold

Romania enters 2026 with mounting political pressure on newly elected President Nicușor Dan to authorise a broader overhaul of the Law on Games of Chance (2009 – revised 2015), as gambling regulation remains a live and contentious policy issue.

The legislative push follows a turbulent year marked by governance and auditing failures at the ONJN — shortcomings that have drawn sharp criticism from coalition parties and intensified calls for institutional reform.

Several proposals are now circulating within Parliament. Among them is a measure backed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) to raise Romania’s legal gambling age to 21, a move explicitly framed as a response to concerns over teenage gambling, where Romania is ranked among the top three countries in Europe for youth exposure.

At the same time, coalition partner USR Party has maintained its demand that the ONJN be disbanded in 2026, arguing that the regulator’s credibility has been irreparably damaged. The party continues to press for a comprehensive restructuring of gambling governance, covering licensing oversight, advertising controls, and market supervision.

On the fiscal front, the new government has opted for continuity rather than relief. Authorities have confirmed that the increase in online gambling licence taxes from 21% to 30%, introduced in August 2025, will remain in force. This has been accompanied by new tax thresholds on player winnings, marking the sixth consecutive year of tax increases imposed on Romania’s gambling sector.

Together, these political, regulatory and fiscal pressures suggest that Law 239/2025 may represent only the first phase of a much wider reform cycle — one that could fundamentally reshape how gambling is governed, taxed and enforced in Romania over the next parliamentary term.