Romania’s ONJN Enforces Stricter Self-Exclusion Measures

Romania’s gambling regulator, the ONJN, has mandated that gambling operators enforce a “single-account principle” for self-exclusion.

This eliminates a loophole that allowed self-excluded players to continue gambling on other platforms.

The move follows intense scrutiny of ONJN’s regulatory effectiveness after a damning audit exposed serious financial oversight failures.

ONJN Implements Single-Account Self-Exclusion Rule to Strengthen Player Protection

Key Takeaways from ONJN’s New Self-Exclusion Rule

• Players who self-exclude on one platform will now be automatically excluded from all licensed gambling sites in Romania.
• Operators must update terms, responsible gaming policies, and compliance procedures or risk fines and possible license revocation.
• ONJN faces mounting criticism after a government audit revealed major financial mismanagement within Romania’s gambling sector.

Romania Closes Self-Exclusion Loophole

The Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) has clarified that self-exclusion must apply across all licensed gambling platforms, not just individual accounts.

Previously, self-excluded players could bypass restrictions by registering with another operator, continuing to gamble despite their exclusion request.

How the New Policy Works:

• One Request, Total Exclusion – Players no longer need to self-exclude from each operator separately.
• Mandatory Compliance – Operators must enforce the rule across all platforms.
• Legal Ramifications – Customers may claim compensation if they gambled after self-excluding on another platform.

ONJN originally launched Romania’s gambling self-exclusion system in 2020 under GD no. 111/2016, Art. 130, which mentioned a single-account approach. However, confusion remained over whether this applied across all operators or just individual platforms under the same license.

“Operators must now ensure full compliance with this requirement, or they risk regulatory penalties,” ONJN stated.

Regulatory Failures Add Pressure on ONJN

ONJN’s latest decision comes amid increased scrutiny following a damning Court of Accounts (CCR) audit report, which found severe financial oversight failures in the gambling sector.

Audit Findings:

• Missing Supervision – ONJN failed to properly oversee gambling license fees and tax payments.
• RTP Discrepancies – The regulator did not verify return-to-player (RTP) rates, leading to possible tax losses.
• Massive Revenue Loss – The state may have lost between 3.3 billion and 4.3 billion lei (€630M – €900M) in tax revenue.

Despite these findings, ONJN President Gheorghe-Gabriel Gheorghe rejected a summons to appear before Parliament.

He argued that the IT Committee lacked authority over regulatory agencies and insisted that corrective measures were already underway.

“ONJN has taken steps to rectify these issues, and we request a rescheduled hearing to present our improvements,” Gheorghe stated.

Romania’s Gambling Sector Faces Potential Overhaul

In response to ONJN’s failures, the Save Romania Union (USR) Party has proposed major gambling reforms, including:

• Shifting Gambling Oversight – Moving land-based gambling regulation to the National Tax Agency (ANAF) and online gambling to the National Bank of Romania.
• Limiting Gambling Spend – Capping player deposits at 10% of their monthly income across online and land-based gambling.
• Strengthening Financial Oversight – Ensuring tax compliance and stricter enforcement of licensing fees.

If implemented, these changes could reshape Romania’s gambling landscape and significantly reduce ONJN’s authority.

A Crucial Moment for Romania’s Gambling Regulation

ONJN’s new self-exclusion rule is a step forward, but regulatory failures continue to undermine trust in Romania’s gambling industry.

Key Takeaways:

• Automatic self-exclusion across all platforms enhances responsible gaming.
• Operators must comply or risk heavy penalties and potential legal claims.
• ONJN faces increasing scrutiny and may lose its regulatory role if proposed reforms pass.

With mounting pressure on ONJN, Romania’s gambling sector is at a crossroads—will stricter enforcement be enough to restore credibility?