A Romanian gaming license is an authorization issued by the National Gambling Office (ONJN), not a generic EU-wide permit. Class 1 covers operators contracting directly with gamblers, while Class 2 covers suppliers such as studios, platforms and certain affiliates. A Class 1 business also needs an annual operating authorization.
Why it matters
A jurisdictional license is one part of market-entry due diligence. It can demonstrate that an operator has passed a stated process, but the reach of the permission depends on the issuing conditions and on the laws of each country in which players or commercial partners are located. The legal entity, the product and the websites must all be aligned.
What to check first
1. Confirm the legal scope
Start with the customer relationship. If your company takes bets, pays winnings and sets player terms, map the relevant Class 1 activity and authorization; our page on the Romania Class 1 license and costs sets out the fee stack. If it only provides software or payment services, assess Class 2 rather than buying an operator license.
2. Verify the evidence
Check the territorial proposition. ONJN permission matters when offering regulated gambling in Romania. Neither an overseas license nor an ONJN certificate automatically opens another national market; UK or other domestic permissions may still be essential.
3. Implement the controls
Prepare a product and supplier map naming the contracting entity, domains, games, payment flows, owners and target audience. This determines what belongs in the application and which licensed counterparties must support the operation.
The Romanian regulatory baseline
Class 1 and Class 2 have different applicant structures, fee stacks and operating conditions. OUG 77/2009, as amended, and GD 111/2016 govern many of the relevant corporate, technical and documentary questions. The business must document the exact permitted route, not merely its preferred one. Our Romania ONJN gambling license overview compares both classes side by side, and the 2026 decision guide covers entity choice and the most common filing pitfalls.
A common mistake to avoid
Confusing an EU member-state regulator with an EU-wide passport is an expensive mistake: gambling licensing remains predominantly national. For management, the useful output is a short written decision stating the facts verified, the assumptions not yet confirmed and the person who owns each unresolved item. That memo should be updated whenever a new supplier, shareholder, market or product changes the risk picture.
A practical next-step checklist
Prepare a working folder with the currently approved documents and a second folder for drafts and historical versions. Version discipline matters because a correct policy paired with an outdated corporate name may still undermine the evidence trail. If the applicant entity does not exist yet, plan the company formation for licensees alongside the dossier.
Make the conclusion auditable
Before acting on this issue, set out the exact role of the applicant, the activity covered and the date of the relevant regulatory source. A separate section should explain the commercial consequences: whether a license class changes the budget, whether a bank or supplier must approve the structure and how customer-protection controls will be monitored. Place supporting documents next to those assumptions so a decision maker can review the evidence without reconstructing the project from emails.
When business details change
For ongoing use, build an escalation rule: when the company changes its activities, technology, advertising territories or controllers, a responsible specialist must reassess the scope. A written reassessment can identify whether a new ONJN submission, revised payment, supplier approval or technical test is needed before trading continues. AML obligations under Law 129/2019 follow the same logic.
Go deeper
The free Romania Gambling Market Report 2026 covers the market, the ONJN licensing process, requirements, tax, AML, payments and a step-by-step market-entry roadmap in 25 pages. For a decision on your own structure, our gambling consulting and licensing services start with a written first read within one business day.