ONJN Convenes Consultative Council to Address Inconsistencies in Romania Gambling Legislation

Romania's ONJN has convened its Consultative Council for a meeting on 18 November at 11:00 to discuss reforms targeting addiction treatment, self-exclusion, illegal online gambling and licence record-keeping. The session gives structure to an ongoing review of national gambling legislation that aims to resolve outdated provisions and inconsistent rules across the sector.

No deadline has been set for completing the overhaul. The regulator's legislative working group holds a mandate to analyze and harmonize existing legislation with the stated objective of “bringing order to the entire regulatory framework”. The review was ordered by Valentin-Ioan Tomescu following an administrative assessment that highlighted needs in digitalisation, staffing and addiction treatment.

Player Protection and Operational Reforms

Council members will examine development of a national programme to treat gambling addiction, the legislative changes required and their effects on gambling operations. ONJN stated: “Discussions will focus on developing a national programme to treat gambling addiction, the legislative changes needed in this area, and the effects of new regulations on the organisation and operation of gambling activities.”

Consistent self-exclusion procedures, methods to combat unlicensed online gambling and a framework regulation covering online activities, fixed-odds betting and land-based gambling are also on the agenda. The authority expects the consultations to produce “coherent legislative and administrative measures”.

Audit Findings and Industry Concerns

Tomescu was appointed on 21 August by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, replacing the previous office holder. An audit by Romania’s Court of Accounts covering 2019–2023 identified serious weaknesses in licence supervision, authorisation fees and tax verification, producing regulatory liabilities of between €630m and €900m. Separate corruption investigations involving former senior figures have compounded questions about governance.

As reported by SBC News and iGaming Expert, trade associations AOPJNR and AOJND have sought formal consultations since May over inconsistent interpretations and the consequences of Emergency Ordinance No. 7/2026. Stasya Yautodzyeva, Head of Analytics at 4H Agency, stated that the November consultation “could become an important step toward restoring dialogue and regulatory clarity, but its value will depend on concrete outcomes”. She added: “Romania remains an attractive yet unstable gambling market, still dealing with the consequences of regulatory failures and successive legislative changes.”

The Test of New Leadership

Tomescu faces the task of converting broad discussions into specific actions with deadlines and accountability. Without measurable enforcement improvements on self-exclusion and offshore compliance, the review risks delivering only administrative adjustments rather than the stability the licensed market requires.