Industry calls for action on gambling self-exclusion registry in Romania
EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer attended an event hosted by the Romanian Online Gambling Association at the Parliament building in Bucharest.
Romania.- Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), has called for Romania to act quickly to establish a proper national gambling self-exclusion registry. Speaking at an event hosted by the Romanian Online Gambling Association AOJND at the parliamentary palace in Bucharest, Haijer said a system should be introduced “as quickly as possible”.
He added that regulatory measures should focus on harm prevention through targeted interventions rather than a blanket approach, arguing that evidence shows tailored policies lead to better outcomes. The event was broadcast on Romanian television. In a statement issued afterwards, the EGBA noted that 17 European Union member states already have national self-exclusion programmes.
It said that Romania’s register should apply across all licensees – both online and land-based gambling operators, and should be part of a government website that complies with EU General Data Protection Regulations while ensuring accessibility and implementation across gambling platforms. It recommends setting minimum and maximum exclusion periods and that operators should have a duty to remove self-excluded players from marketing list.
Romania does actually have a self-exclusion register, which the national gambling regulator, the ONJN, launched back in 2020, but its implementation has been less than ideal. Back in March, the ONJN issued an order for gambling operators to apply a “single account principle” for self-exclusion, meaning that requests automatically apply across all platforms.
The clarification aims to close a loophole that allowed players who had self-excluded with one operator to switch to another and continue to gamble. It brings the Romanian self-exclusion system in line with most of those in Europe, which allow players to exclude from all operators with a single request, avoiding the need for a player to self-exclude separately from each individual platform.
The decision could have repercussions for operators who interpreted self-exclusion requests as being platform-specific since it raises the possibility that customers could try to claim compensation if they self-excluded on one platform but later incurred losses through gambling on another that failed to implement cross-platform exclusion. Some operators have already made refunds due to legal action.
The regulator has told operators to update their terms and conditions, responsible gambling policies, and internal compliance procedures accordingly. It warns that it could issue fines and possible licence revocation for further breaches.
Also present at the meeting in Bucharest this week was Anders Dorph, director of the Danish gambling regulator, Spillemyndigheden. He suggested that Romania needed to change its perspective on gambling and to focus on providing more public education about the industry. He said Romanians needed to learn that “gambling is about entertainment, not profit,” suggesting: “It’s similar to going to the cinema – you pay for the experience, not for guaranteed returns.”
Meanwhile, the EGBA has partnered with the AI platform Letzz, which monitors regulatory changes in Europe’s online gambling sector. It says the platform offers operators real-time insights and automated regulatory news scanning.
