Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN)

Established in 2013, the Oficiului Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc began monitoring gambling in Romania more stringently from the latter half of 2015 onwards. While online gambling services have been permitted in the country since 2014, there are no restrictions on gaming at foreign casinos. Although this gave Romanian players the luxury of choice, it also led to issues such as money laundering, loss of tax revenue, and lack of protection for Romanian players.

Today, the landscape of gambling and online gambling activities in Romania looks very different. From slots and table games to bingo and sweepstakes, all forms of gambling across land-based and online casinos require gambling licenses to operate. In order for a gambling website to legally offer its services to players, it must first obtain a Class 1 ONJN License.

This is issued temporarily for one year and can be extended to ten years after that. Furthermore, in addition to operators, all software providers and certain marketing and advertising companies need to be licensed. It’s clear that the ONJN is taking its role seriously and making gambling safer and more regulated for Romanian players.

If you’re a Romanian online casino player looking to place a bet on a site that’s licensed, legal and regulated, you’ll have a number of different options to choose from. The Oficiului Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc has three different licenses available, with various permissions, for those operators and companies seeking Romanian licensing:

• Class 1 License (Type 1): issued to gambling operators holding a definitive license, valid for 10 years.
• Class 1 License (Type 2): issued to gambling operators holding a temporary license, valid for 1 year, with the option of being upgraded to a Type 1 license.
• Class 2 License: issued to software providers and companies supplying products and services to the Romanian gambling industry.
• Class 3 License: issued to the National Romanian Lottery.

All licenses require operators to pay certain fees and abide by Romanian law.

Thanks to licensed foreign online gambling operators being allowed to accept players from Romania, as a Romanian player, you’ll have a variety of reputable online casinos to choose from, including known providers.

To apply for an ONJN gambling license, your company must be established within the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. If your main servers are not located in Romania, you need to set up mirror servers in the country. You will also need to open Romanian bank accounts and process all player transactions through a licensed Class 2 payment processor in Romania.

Your platform must be secure and capable of handling large volumes of transactions and player data, with advanced encryption and cybersecurity measures to protect user data and financial transactions. Additionally, you must comply with extensive regulatory standards, including regular audits and reporting, anti-fraud and anti-money laundering measures, and player protection initiatives such as self-exclusion options, deposit limits, and support services for problem gambling.

Hiring qualified Romanian staff can provide significant tax deductions. Ensuring that your staff is well-trained and adheres to local regulations is essential for maintaining compliance with ONJN standards. Meeting these requirements will help you provide a secure, fair, and responsible gambling environment for players.

Applying for an ONJN gambling license comes with various pros and cons, which all applicants should be aware of.

Suppose an online casino with an ONJN gambling license is found to be non-compliant with any of its laws and regulations. In that case, a player may file a complaint with the Oficiului Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc. Should the online casino be found guilty, a large fine may be imposed, and in some cases the license may even be revoked.

Having these regulations in place holds operators accountable for their practices at all times, and helps maintain industry best practices. Additionally, all online casinos are required to be secured by stringent encryption technology, further safeguarding the security of players.

In addition to the various legalities associated with ONJN licenses, there is additional legislation that governs the gambling activities of licensed online casino operators, particularly concerning marketing and advertising:

• All unsolicited emails and spam are strictly prohibited.
• Sending marketing materials to self-excluded online players is forbidden.
• Unauthorized gambling advertising is prohibited.
• Outdoor advertising may not be placed in the vicinity of schools, cultural or religious premises.
• Online casino bonuses may only be promoted through limited, licensed channels.

Furthermore, all online gambling operators are obliged to contribute €5,000 annually to socially responsible gambling activities, to help prevent gambling addiction.

The National Office for Gambling has been in effect since 2013, but it only began enforcing its laws and guidelines in 2015. Before this, Romanians were free to play at any foreign online casino of their choice. After amending Romanian gambling regulations and introducing the ONJN license, the National Office for Gambling was able to address illegal and unregulated gambling, thus protecting the safety of Romanian players.

Today, all licensed online casinos must comply with the regulations outlined in their license, leading to improved security and safer online gambling for players. With more security and transparency, player satisfaction improves, and Romanian players can enjoy high-quality online gambling with peace of mind.