Romanian gambling law rests on one statute, OUG 77/2009, and one regulator, ONJN. Everything else either implements that statute (HG 111/2016), amends it (most importantly OUG 82/2023 and Law 141/2025), or regulates a neighboring field such as tax, AML or advertising. This post maps those laws and what each one decides, so you know where a rule comes from before you rely on it.
If you are choosing between licenses or budgeting an application, go to our Romania gambling license guide, which carries the current costs and the decision between Class 1 and Class 2.
How the framework developed
OUG 77/2009 was adopted in 2009 and approved by Law 246/2010. ONJN was created in 2013 by OUG 20/2013. The online regime arrived in 2015, when Law 124/2015 approved OUG 92/2014 and opened remote licensing to private operators; our 2023 version of this post wrongly dated OUG 77/2009 itself to 2015.
Since then the law has been amended almost every year. The changes that matter most today came in three waves:
- OUG 82/2023 (October 2023, approved by Law 107/2024): new fee annex, the requirement that operators be Romanian companies or EU/EEA/Swiss entities with a Romanian permanent establishment, and fixed financial guarantees from 2025.
- Law 141/2025 (in force 1 August 2025): online authorization fee raised to 30% of GGR, new tax bands on players’ winnings, and blocking duties for B2B suppliers.
- OUG 7/2026 (February 2026): local council authorization for land-based venues.
Key gambling regulations
| Instrument | What it governs |
|---|---|
| OUG 77/2009 | License classes, ONJN powers, fee annex, share capital, guarantees, sanctions |
| HG 111/2016 | Methodological norms: dossier contents, technical rules, KYC, record keeping |
| OUG 20/2013 · HG 298/2013 | Creation and organization of ONJN |
| OUG 82/2023 · Law 107/2024 | Local establishment rule, new fees, fixed guarantees, slot halls only in localities over 15,000 inhabitants |
| OUG 80/2024 · Law 141/2025 | 30% authorization fee (minimum €480,000), winnings tax bands, supplier blocking duties |
| Law 239/2025 | Latest amendment to OUG 77/2009 in the official amendment chain |
| OUG 7/2026 | Local council authorization and zoning for land-based gambling |
| Fiscal Code (Law 227/2015) · Fiscal Procedure Code (Law 207/2015) | 16% corporate income tax, winnings withholding, tax administration |
| Law 129/2019 · ONJN Order 370/2021 | AML/CFT duties and gambling-sector AML instructions |
| ONJN Order 79/2025 | National self-exclusion register procedure |
| CNA Decision 573/2025 | Audiovisual Code rules on gambling advertising |
ONJN also issues technical orders on remote gambling, testing and reporting. The 2016 to 2021 orders listed in our original post remain part of that body, but several have been amended, so always check the consolidated version.
Primary regulatory bodies
ONJN (Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc) issues licenses and authorizations, supervises licensees, keeps the blacklist and the national self-exclusion register, and since May 2025 is the sole AML supervisor for the gambling sector. Between April 2025 and April 2026 it carried out about 11,000 inspections and revoked 60 licenses.
ANAF collects taxes and handles tax audits of operators. CNA regulates broadcast advertising. Local councils decide, since OUG 7/2026, whether land-based gambling is allowed in their territory and in which zones, and issue an annual local authorization.
Key aspects of Romanian gambling law
Licensing
Every operator needs an ONJN license and, for each game type, an annual operating authorization. There are three classes:
- Class 1 for operators offering games to players, online or land-based. Details on our Class 1 (B2C) license page.
- Class 2 for suppliers: game studios, platforms, aggregators, payment processors, hosting, test labs and affiliates. Details on our Class 2 (B2B) license page.
- Class 3 for the state lottery monopoly, not open to private applicants.
Licenses are valid for 10 years. ONJN must decide within 30 days of a complete file, and silence is not approval.
Taxes and fees
The 2023 version of this post said fees were based on annual income. That is no longer accurate for the license fee. For online Class 1 the license fee is a flat €300,000 a year, the responsible-gambling contribution is €500,000 a year, and the authorization fee is 30% of GGR with a €480,000 minimum. That gives a fixed annual floor of €1,280,000 before any revenue (payment dates in the Romania gambling compliance calendar). Class 2 suppliers pay €20,000 a year plus a €15,000 contribution. Land-based fixed-odds betting pays 25% of GGR with a €240,000 minimum. A 5% contribution applies to the value of advertising contracts. The full schedule, including guarantees and local authorization, is in our analysis of gambling taxes in Romania in 2026.
Player protection
The minimum age is 18. A bill raising it to 21 for all gambling passed the Senate on 16 February 2026 and was sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making chamber; see age 21 and the online ad blackout. Operators must connect to the national self-exclusion register, offer limits and responsible-gambling tools, and pay winnings within three business days.
Advertising
Broadcast gambling ads are limited to 23:00 to 06:00, with an exception for betting during live sports. Outdoor ads are capped at 35 square meters. Since 7 October 2025, using public figures and influencers in gambling ads is banned. Ads must show the age restriction, the license number and the ONJN logo. A Senate-approved bill would also ban online gambling ads from 06:00 to 24:00.
Types of gambling allowed
- Online gambling. Casino, sports betting, poker and bingo under a Class 1 license, with every domain authorized. In October 2026 the ONJN register listed 28 Class 1 operator entries covering 92 domains.
- Land-based casinos. Mainly in Bucharest and large cities, licensed per table, now also subject to local authorization.
- Sports betting. Online and in betting shops, fixed-odds and pool betting.
- Slot-machine halls. Allowed only in localities with more than 15,000 inhabitants and, since OUG 7/2026, only where the local council permits. Several cities have moved to ban them; see OUG 7/2026 and slot machines.
- Lotteries. A state monopoly run by Loteria Română.
How to check that a rule is still current
Because OUG 77/2009 changes so often, a rule quoted in a blog post, a contract or an old legal opinion may already be out of date. Four habits avoid most mistakes:
- Read the consolidated text. The Romanian Legislative Portal publishes OUG 77/2009 and HG 111/2016 in consolidated form, and the Chamber of Deputies lists every amending act in order.
- Check the effective date, not the publication date. Law 141/2025 was published in July 2025 but its gambling fees applied from 1 August 2025, and some of its other measures took effect only in 2026.
- Look for transitional rules. OUG 82/2023, for example, gave incumbent licensees time to set up a Romanian entity or permanent establishment, and its guarantees moved from 2024 tiers to fixed 2025 amounts.
- Read ONJN orders alongside the law. Technical standards, reporting formats and the self-exclusion procedure are set by ONJN president’s orders, not by the ordinance itself.
Bills are not law. The age-21 and online advertising bills, and proposals such as limiting gambling to tourist resorts, change nothing until they are adopted, promulgated and published in Monitorul Oficial.
Pros and cons of a Romanian license
Pros
- An EU regulator’s license, which acquirers, banks and tier-one partners treat very differently from offshore licenses.
- A large, regulated market with a published blacklist that ONJN enforces actively.
- Clear statutory deadlines and a public register of licensees.
- Low cost of entry for suppliers: €45,500 in the first year for Class 2.
Cons
- Frequent legal change: OUG 82/2023, Law 141/2025, Law 239/2025 and OUG 7/2026 all amended the core law within three years.
- High fixed costs for operators: €1,280,000 a year before revenue, plus a €2,000,000 guarantee (€5,000,000 for online casino).
- Advertising is tightening, and the age-21 bill could shrink the addressable market.
- Land-based operators now face local politics as well as ONJN.
- Active enforcement: inspections, license revocations and criminal referrals.
How we can help
Szilaghi Consulting’s in-house avocați prepare ONJN Class 1 and Class 2 files, set up the Romanian company or permanent establishment, and run post-license compliance. For the step-by-step licensing view, read our Romania iGaming license guide for 2026. Contact us to discuss your project.
