In September 2020 Romania opened the way for lottery games to be played online and on self-service terminals. A government decision amending the methodological norms to OUG 77/2009 allowed participation through autonomous terminals operated by players and through a dedicated section of the official website of Compania Națională Loteria Română S.A. The change was slow to reach players: online sales began only in July 2023, and Loteria Română’s own platform followed in March 2024. The lottery itself remains a state monopoly under a Class 3 license.
The 2020 proposal
When this post was first published on 2 September 2020, the measure was a draft decision under public consultation at the Ministry of Economy. Its stated purpose was pandemic-driven: social distancing and movement restrictions had hit sales through physical agencies, and the draft let players take part without travelling to an agency. Tickets could be bought from home through the official website, or at terminals installed in shopping centers and other places where the activity is permitted.
Self-service terminals
The draft set three technical requirements for a stand-alone terminal:
- an interface for taking part in the game, registering and issuing the related documents;
- a payment device, such as a banknote or coin acceptor or another payment-acceptance device;
- a printer for game tickets.
Online participation
Online, tickets would be sold only on the official websites of Loteria Română. The player would pay the participation fee, could read the terms and conditions, and could print the document evidencing the right to participate.
Adoption
The government approved the decision at its meeting of 10 September 2020. Besides terminals and online play, it allowed lottery stakes to be paid by electronic payment instruments.
What happened next
Approval did not mean a working product. Loteria Română announced in September 2020 that an online platform would follow quickly, with support from the Authority for the Digitalization of Romania. A 2021 tender for the platform, estimated at RON 1.4 million, drew a single bid and was cancelled in April 2022.
Online sales finally started in July 2023, through a third-party mobile app under a mandate contract. Loteria Română said the partner requirements had been published from January 2023. The commission paid to the partner was not disclosed.
On 25 March 2024 Loteria Română launched its own web platform, bilete.loto.ro. It offered Loto 6/49, Joker, Loto 5/40, Noroc, Noroc Plus and Super Noroc, authenticated players through the government’s ROeID digital identity, processed payments with CEC Bank, and paid prizes of up to RON 100 directly to the player’s bank account.
What applies now (2026)
The monopoly stands. Lottery games remain reserved to the state. Loteria Română holds the Class 3 license by law, and no private operator can be licensed for lottery games, online or on land. Our post on which games of chance require a license explains where lottery ends and other licensed games begin.
The Class 3 fee line. OUG 82/2023 added a remote state-monopoly category to the fee annex: a €200,000 annual license fee and a €100,000 annual responsible-gambling contribution, alongside the €200,000 license fee for traditional lotto.
Where private companies fit. Private businesses take part as suppliers. Terminal manufacturers, platform and game providers, payment processors and test labs that serve the lottery or any Romanian operator need an ONJN Class 2 license; see our Class 2 (B2B) license page. Operators of betting, casino and other games apply under Class 1; the Romania licensing hub compares the two.
Local authorization. OUG 7/2026 lets local councils decide whether gambling venues may operate in their territory. In March 2026 the mayor of Râșnov asked the prefecture whether a local ban would also close lottery agencies, since OUG 77/2009 lists lottery among games of chance; no official answer had been published at the time of reporting. Operators planning land-based outlets should follow the council decisions described in our post on the 2026 local council veto.
Winnings. Lottery prizes are taxed by withholding under art. 110 of the Fiscal Code. ANAF’s September 2025 guidance states that for lotteries, casinos, poker clubs and slot machines, winnings up to RON 66,750 per payment are not taxed; under the bands in force since 1 August 2025 (Law 141/2025), the part above that threshold is effectively taxed at 40%.
