Romania approves new gambling licence fees and ad rules
Licence fees will rise significantly.
Romania.- The Romanian parliament has approved emergency ordinances on gambling regulations presented by the Ministry of Finance. The ordinance includes a sharp rise in licence fees for all verticals plus new rules on advertising.
Licensees will now be required to have a domicile in Romania and will have to submit tax contributions to the national gambling regulator, the ONJN, within five working days of the month following collection.
There will be a ban on unsolicited online gambling adverts, on the promotion of incentives such as bonuses and promotions and on the sale of alcohol in non-casino land-based gambling venues. Meanwhile, a central player will allow the ONJN to monitor play across licensed operators.
The licence fees have been amended from the ministry’s original proposals as follows:
- Online gambling: €500,000
- Lottery: €200,000
- Pari-mutuel betting: €65,000
- Fixed-odds betting: €200,000
- Counter betting: €150,000
- Casino: €4,000 per table
- Poker clubs: €25,000 per club
- Slot machines: €150,000
- Bingo at physical venues: €5,000
- TV bingo : €500,000
- Slot machines: €100 per machine, rising to €300 in 2024 and €500 in 2025
The national gambling regulator, the ONJN, has been told that from January 2025, all licensees must set aside at least €1m for licensing matters irrespective of their income or sector. Some 70 per cent of gambling tax contributions will go to the state budget while 30 per cent will fund responsible gambling initiatives.
See also: Romania gambling regulator revokes Cash Gaming slots licence
