Romania strengthens legislation against unlicensed gambling
Licensed suppliers must now block access when Romanian players are detected on unlicensed platforms.
Romania.- Lawmakers have approved a series of amendments intended to address legislative gaps and better protect the Romanian gambling market from unlicensed activity. Taking effect immediately, the amendments include rules to prevent licensed operators and suppliers from indirectly enabling access to unregulated gambling while also expanding regulatory oversight.
Central to the reforms are tougher requirements for Class II B2B licence holders, including software developers, hosting providers, payment processors, and platform service companies.
Law 239/2025 prohibits B2B entities from supplying services to unlicensed B2C operators that meet all three of the following conditions: they offer gambling content in Romanian, they allow deposits or withdrawals in RON or other currencies, including cryptoassets, and they providing access to Romanian players without a valid ONJN Class I licence.
This cumulative test replaces an earlier “any condition” interpretation, which had left suppliers vulnerable to liability even when their services were not directly aimed at Romanian users.
At the same time, the reforms expand the scope of B2B compliance obligations. Licensed suppliers must now block access when Romanian players are detected on unlicensed platforms and must immediately notify the operator to resolve the issue.
Non-compliance is a criminal offence, punishable by six months to two years in prison, fines and possible licence revocation or dissolution of the offending company.
Oversight of payment processors and platform providers
The government has also extended regulatory oversight to payment processors, software hosts and platform providers. These entities must now block access and report non-compliant partners.
Meanwhile, from January 2026, all slot machines and VLT terminals must be fitted with integrated geolocation systems to track their exact position in Romania, whether in use, storage, transit, or maintenance. This replaces the previous requirement for stand-alone GPS devices.
It’s believed that this may be the first step before further gambling reforms in Romania following the assumption of Ilie Bolojan as prime minister and the appointment of Vlad-Cristian Soare as president of the national gambling regulator. The new coalition government has published draft plans to revise the framework for gambling tax in Romania
