Romania brings stricter gambling regulations

The Romanian Government has plans in place to impose higher registration fees and stricter regulations on gambling enterprises.

These plans have been unveiled through the Ministry of Finance in the form of several draft emergency ordinances regarding gambling regulation.

These ordinances are now slated for debate in Parliament in October which will culminate with an eventual vote.

Licencing fees

The Key changes will include the new licencing fee, a ban on alcohol sales at gambling venues (notably excluding casinos), and the requirement for gambling.

Regarding licensing, the draft suggests that the government impose a brand new fee structure encompassing all gambling vertical
Under this framework individual games such as lotto games and slot-machines would be required to pay a set annual fee ranging from €15,000 up to €200,000 dependant on current popularity and profitability
Additionally, land-based casinos and any larger retailers will be required to pay a individually considered licensing fee which will be determined by the Ministry of Finance based on the operators’ annual income.

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Further provisions

Also included within the daft is the requirement for businesses to reserve a minimum of €1 million for the aforementioned licencing provisions.

The Ministry also included recommendations for stricter enforcement of tax collection, describing the operators’ requirement to submit tax contributions “promptly”.

Along with this, the draft suggests extending the supervisory powers of the National Gambling Office of Romania (ONJN) to a position in line with that of the European standard.

This would be achieved by creating a centralised database to monitor licensed operators and gambling consumers.

Advertising

The proposal then concludes with the Ministry endorsing numerous restrictions on gambling advertising.

This is an issue that has previously been outlined by other Romanian departments. Among these restrictions is a ban on all “unsolicited online adverts” and a ban on promotional incentives to wager including but not limited to bonuses, promotions and jackpots.

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