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Casinos Licensed by Romanian National Gambling Office

Licensing Jurisdiction

Until 2015, Romanians could participate in betting, play casino games, and enjoy other types of gambling at foreign-based online casinos without any restrictions. On the one hand, it was good that players had a lot of choices. However, it also brought a lot of negative aspects along with it. 

Nowadays, things are different. For a gambling site to be able to offer services to customers in Romania, it is necessary to obtain a Class I ONJN license. The gambling license is granted for one year (temporary license) at first. However, this can be extended to a semi-permanent, 10-year license afterward. And it’s not only operators that need licenses, but also software providers and certain kinds of advertisers and marketing companies. The following licenses are available:

  • Class I License - Type 1: Gambling operators who hold a definitive license, with the license being valid for 10 years.
  • Class I License - Type 2: Gambling operators who hold a temporary license, which is valid for 1 year and can be upgraded to a Type 1 license afterward.
  • Class II License: A license for software providers and companies providing other relevant services to the local gambling industry such as affiliate sites and advertisers.

For each type of license, the operator must pay certain annual fees and comply with the laws in force in Romania.

The Main Focus of Romanian National Gambling Office

As previously mentioned, before 2015 Romanians could freely play at foreign-based online casinos. As a result, it was nearly impossible for the government to keep track of the cash flow. This led to concerns regarding money laundering and losses in tax revenue. The security of players could not be guaranteed either. Any international online casino was able to accept Romanian players if it wanted to, but many did not care about their needs and safety. With the introduction of the new gambling license, the Romanian government managed to address all of these issues. 

All licensed operators are obliged to have a site in Romanian and allow players to deposit and withdraw directly in Romanian lei. Furthermore, they must comply with all regulations, contributing to a higher level of security and a safer gambling environment for players. Cash flow is more transparent. Therefore the government can profit from additional tax income. 

Security at Online Casinos Licensed by Romanian National Gambling Office

In case of any injustice or if an online casino in Romania does not comply with the laws and regulations in force, players can file a complaint with the Romanian National Gambling Office. Large fines can be imposed and, in severe cases, the ONJN can revoke the license of gambling operators. This is very beneficial for customers, as the operators can now be held accountable. To maintain the highest level of security, all betting sites must be hosted on servers within the country and secured by state-of-the-art encryption technology.

Andreas Schmidt
Andreas Schmidt
Last Update: 13 Mar 2023
Andreas is our go-to guy for anything related to poker or in-depth guides. He's not only a former professional poker player, but he's also been working within the iGaming industry itself since 2014. Casino, Poker and Sports Betting are his main areas of expertise, in addition to anything and everything related to payment processes at online casinos.
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