Romania’s ONJN Schedules Consultative Council Meeting to Tackle Gambling Regulation Failures and Legislative Gaps
Romania’s ONJN will hold a Consultative Council meeting on November 18, 2026, to discuss addiction treatment, self-exclusion, illegal gambling and licence oversight. The talks follow a Court of Accounts audit revealing €630m–€900m in liabilities from 2019–2023 and leadership changes. The review targets outdated provisions and inconsistent enforcement.
SCCG Take — Operators should prepare input on player-protection rules that will likely raise compliance costs but reduce long-term regulatory exposure in a tightening Romanian market.
Romania’s gambling regulator has convened its Consultative Council to begin talks on overhauling the legislative framework after a state audit exposed serious oversight failures.
The National Office for Gambling (ONJN) set the meeting for November 18. Discussions will target gambling addiction treatment, self-exclusion systems, illegal online gambling and licence monitoring. The process seeks to resolve inconsistencies and outdated provisions in existing laws, according to reporting by Focus Gaming News.
Audit Exposes €630m–€900m in Regulatory Liabilities
The review follows a Court of Accounts audit covering 2019 to 2023. That assessment identified regulatory liabilities estimated at between €630m and €900m. Auditors flagged shortcomings in licence supervision, tax verification, fee collection and reconciliation of operator data with tax declarations.
Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, appointed ONJN president in August, launched the legislative working group after the prior president’s dismissal. The authority has also faced corruption investigations involving former senior officials. Tomescu identified digitalisation, staffing and addiction treatment as immediate priorities.
Focus on National Treatment Programmes and Enforcement Tools
The November session will examine proposals for a national gambling addiction treatment programme and the legislative changes required to support it. Additional items include consistent application of self-exclusion measures, actions against unlicensed online gambling, and improved recording of player transactions at land-based venues.
ONJN further intends to consult on future rules for online gambling, fixed-odds betting and retail operations. Several municipalities have begun phasing out land-based gaming under new local powers, prompting Super Technologies to convert affected venues into community centres. Industry stakeholders continue to seek clearer regulatory interpretations after recent legislative shifts.
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