The National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has released its comprehensive Activity Report for the period April 25, 2025 – April 25, 2026, marking exactly one year since Vlad-Cristian Soare assumed the presidency. The document details a significant institutional pivot from administrative backlog towards a data-driven enforcement model centred on transparency and technical oversight. The regulator reported that over 98% of authorised operators are now in compliance with new reporting standards, even as enforcement actions against the unauthorized sector reached record levels.
Strategic Impact: Key Takeaways From the 2026 Mandate Report
The mandate’s first year was defined by the transition from formal control to real-time traceability, resulting in immediate shifts in market dynamics and player protection.
- Infrastructure over Administration: The launch of a cloud-native Public Register of Gaming Devices has automated a previously manual verification process, creating a live map of the country’s 70,000+ machines.
- Targeted Enforcement: The shift toward technical blocks, including over 60 illegal content removal orders, signals that the ONJN is now targeting the rails of unlicensed gambling rather than just end-users.
- Historical Social Funding: The activation of the €5 million “Aware and Free” program represents the first time state funds have been directly allocated to NGOs and public authorities for addiction treatment and prevention.
- Clearing the Protection Backlog: By resolving 30,000 inherited self-exclusion requests, the regulator has restored the credibility of the National Self-Exclusion Registry, which now protects over 54,000 individuals.
Digitalisation and the Live Traceability Mechanism
A core pillar of the 2026 report is the implementation of a technical traceability system for physical gaming devices. Hosted on the Government Private Cloud, the new digital register requires every authorised slot machine or terminal to be equipped with mandatory geolocation and a scannable QR code.
This system addresses previous criticisms from the Romanian Court of Accounts regarding the institution’s inability to track device movement. Operators must now maintain real-time data accuracy or face immediate licence suspension. This technical rigour mirrors the regulatory reset seen in India on April 22, where federal oversight was restructured to prioritise digital safety and technical kill switches for non-compliant platforms.
Aggressive Blacklist Expansion and License Revocations
The ONJN has ramped up its offensive against unauthorized offshore operators. Over the last 12 months, the regulator added more than 300 unlicensed websites to its official blacklist. Under the expanded powers granted by Law no. 141/2025, the ONJN can now issue direct removal orders to ISPs and hosting providers.
Enforcement by the numbers (April 2025 – April 2026):
- Criminal Complaints: 70 cases filed for non-compliance and tax discrepancies.
- Licence Revocations: 60 licences cancelled following investigations into GGR manipulation.
- Fines: Approximately 10 million lei (€2 million) in total penalties issued across 11,000 control activities.
- Asset Seizures: 260 unauthorized gaming devices disabled or confiscated.
The €5M Aware and Free Program
For the first time since its inception, the ONJN has moved beyond revenue collection to active social intervention. The Aware and Free (Conștient și Liber) program, launched in early 2026, allocates €5 million in non-reimbursable funding derived from operator contributions that had previously sat unused in state accounts.
The funding is divided into three strategic streams: €3.6 million for prevention, education, and counsellor training; €1.2 million for building or expanding public treatment centres; and €200,000 for impact studies to guide future policy. This focus on harm reduction aligns with the New Zealand Online Casino Bill, which similarly prioritised mandatory social funding as a prerequisite for market participation.
Unified Self-Exclusion and the Emergency Ordinance
The report confirms that a draft Emergency Ordinance is currently being finalised to unify self-exclusion procedures. Currently, land-based and online exclusions operate on separate databases. The proposed measure would create a single, biometric-linked “National Exclusion Hub” that operators must query in real-time.
Under the proposed rules, failure to verify a customer’s exclusion status would result in fines of up to 100,000 lei. This move follows a broader regional trend toward centralised player data, such as the ACMA’s focus on AI-driven oversight to detect high-risk patterns across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Navigating the Local Veto and Decentralisation
One of the most complex challenges noted by President Vlad-Cristian Soare in his review is the recent decentralisation of licensing authority. As of early 2026, local councils in cities like Iaşi and Sibiu have gained the power to ban or restrict slot halls, even if the operator holds a national ONJN licence.
The 2026 report acknowledges that the ONJN must now serve as a mediator between national economic goals and local social priorities. For B2B stakeholders, this signifies that a national licence is no longer a “blank check” for expansion, and compliance must now be managed at the municipal level.