ONJN raids gaming venues nationwide as Romania intensifies black market crackdown

• Romania’s National Office for Gambling conducted simultaneous raids across multiple gaming venues on 26 September without prior notice
• The operation focused on verifying self-exclusion procedures, detecting minors in gaming halls, and identifying illegal gaming equipment
• Under new leadership, ONJN has conducted over 5,000 inspections, confiscated 140 gaming machines, and imposed sanctions exceeding 4 million Romanian Lei in five months

Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) executed a nationwide enforcement operation on 26 September, conducting simultaneous raids at gaming venues across the country, including locations in Bucharest neighbourhoods Militari, Crângași și Gara de Nord.

The coordinated action took place under direct supervision of ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare, with mixed inspection teams conducting unannounced cross-verification controls at multiple gaming halls throughout Friday evening.

The operation targeted three primary objectives: verifying compliance with player self-exclusion procedures, detecting the presence of minors in gaming venues, and identifying illegal gaming equipment operating on the black market.

New leadership drives enforcement push

The raids are part of an intensified enforcement strategy implemented since Soare’s appointment as ONJN president in April 2025, following his predecessor’s resignation due to regulatory failures.

The new leadership has prioritised restoring institutional credibility after a Court of Accounts audit revealed Romania lost nearly €1 billion in gambling tax revenue between 2019 and 2023 due to inadequate oversight.

ONJN’s enforcement activities have generated substantial results under the current administration, with over 5,000 control measures implemented nationally in the past five months.

The authority has confiscated 140 gaming machines, imposed sanctions totalling more than 4 million lei (€790,000), revoked 28 licences, suspended three online platforms, and filed over 30 criminal complaints during this period.

Black market crackdown

ONJN has expanded its black market enforcement beyond physical venues to online platforms, recently blacklisting 30 unlicensed gambling websites and ordering internet service providers to block access within 15 days.

These sites included domains such as wazbee.casino, jacktop.com, and multiple Curacao-licensed casinos that were targeting Romanian players without local licensing.

Romania’s gambling sector faces mounting regulatory pressure as authorities attempt to combat widespread non-compliance and restore market integrity. The government has implemented stricter tax regimes, with online operators now paying 27% tax on total revenue, up from 21%, while retail operators face a 23% rate.

WhatsApp contact

ONJN has established a public reporting system through WhatsApp (0761 890 899) encouraging community members to report not only illegal venues and unlicensed platforms, but also instances where minors gain access to physical locations or self-exclusion procedures are not properly implemented.

The enforcement campaign operates within a broader reform context, as Romanian lawmakers consider legislation that would grant municipal authorities local control over gambling venue licensing and taxation.