Romania's gambling regulator launches review of outdated legislation

Romania's gambling authority has started work on reviewing and revising the country's national gambling legislation. The National Gambling Office, or ONJN, stated there is a necessity to address a variety of outdated regulations that have caused fragmentation and inconsistencies across the sector. The overhaul was directly mandated by ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, who was appointed on August 21, 2026. The regulator said the end goal is a revised legislature that better corresponds to the current state of the local industry and the ONJN's supervisory responsibilities. The ONJN stated that Tomescu has modified the composition of the working group responsible for drafting regulatory acts. "The President of the ONJN has modified the composition of the working group responsible for drafting regulatory acts in this sector, with a mandate to analyze and harmonize existing legislation," the regulator said. The office noted the aim is to bring order to the entire regulatory framework, though it did not specify what exact changes will be made and set no deadline for the process.

Tomescu replaced the previous ONJN president, Vlad-Cristian Soare, earlier in August. Soare had held the position for just over a year after his appointment in April 2025. The transition was far from smooth, adding to the controversy surrounding a regulator marred by scandals throughout 2025 and 2026. Tomescu's appointment by Romania's president was an unexpected turn that left Soare with no explanation, according to Soare himself.

Regulator plagued by corruption probes

The ONJN's recent history includes several high-profile corruption cases. In July, reports emerged that the now-former deputy director general of the ONJN, Ana-Maria Badea, became a person of interest in a corruption probe. Officials were alleged to have received bribes to act in certain operators' favour. That case followed another headline from the same month, where former ONJN president Odea Nestor, who served from 2013 to 2017, was brought into custody. He was allegedly involved in a 100,000 euro bribery facilitated between an ONJN official and a Bulgarian gambling operator.

Soare distanced himself from both cases. Speaking to the media following the allegations against Badea, he said, "It is an important and necessary step to have a credible institution. For me, the integrity of the institution is a priority. ONJN must operate with zero tolerance towards acts of corruption." Soare himself was brought to the ONJN to restore order after an audit found nearly one billion euros was missing in gambling taxes for the period from 2019 to 2023. That discovery led to the resignation of his predecessor. The ONJN now finds itself at a major crossroads, facing the dual challenge of internal reform and external legislative review. With his latest announcement, Tomescu appears determined to steer the regulator in a new direction.