Romania's ONJN Starts Gambling Legislation Review With New Working Group
Romania's gambling regulator ONJN has reshaped the working group that drafts its rules and started reviewing and harmonizing national gambling legislation.
Romania's National Gambling Office (ONJN) has started a review of the country's gambling legislation after its president changed the membership of the working group that drafts regulatory acts, according to reports published on 2 November 2026.
The ONJN (Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc) is the regulator that licenses and supervises gambling operators in Romania. Its new review is a process step rather than a finished reform: no draft text or list of amended provisions has been released.
What the ONJN has started
The ONJN has begun reviewing and harmonizing national gambling legislation. ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu, who SBC News says was appointed on 21 August 2026, modified the composition of the working group responsible for drafting regulatory acts in the sector. The group's mandate is to analyze the legislation now in force and align it.
The regulator says outdated regulations have produced fragmentation and inconsistencies across the sector. It describes the goal as bringing order to the entire regulatory framework, in the words of the statement as quoted by SBC News. SBC News reports that no deadline has been attached to the work.
Scope and approach of the review
The Italian trade outlet JAMMA reports that the working group is to analyze current legislation, check coherence between provisions and identify the changes needed for an overall revision. The ONJN wants a structural, integrated approach rather than amending rules each time an application problem surfaces.
| Element | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Body leading the work | ONJN working group that drafts regulatory acts, with changed composition |
| Ordered by | ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu |
| Task | Analyze existing legislation, check coherence, identify changes for an overall revision |
| Targets | Uncoordinated rules, overlaps and provisions needing updates |
| Stated aims | Predictability and legal certainty for operators; a framework suited to the current industry and to the ONJN's supervision and control role |
| Approach | Integrated and structural, instead of piecemeal amendments |
| Reported timeline | No deadline set, per SBC News |
The ONJN lists the legislation it currently administers on its legislation page, which is the body of rules the working group will be reading against each other.
Why it matters for operators
For licensed operators, suppliers and payment partners in Romania, the stated aim of predictability and legal certainty is the practical point. A rulebook assembled through successive amendments can leave overlapping obligations, and the ONJN has now said it intends to address that systematically.
No measure has been named, so operators cannot yet map the review to licensing fees, technical requirements, advertising rules or responsible gambling obligations. The most useful signal will be the first draft acts the working group produces and any public consultation that follows. Compliance teams should track the ONJN's draft-act publications and prepare to respond when text appears.
Background: a regulator under pressure to tidy its framework
The review follows a period in which the ONJN's own performance has been questioned. Gamingo has reported on an audit finding that the ONJN failed to monitor online operators and on scrutiny over the regulator's oversight failures. More recently, the regulator's account of its work was covered in how the ONJN spent the last year cleaning up Romania's gambling industry, and the local council gamble showed how rule gaps can create a regulatory crisis.
Leadership at the regulator has also changed hands before, as in the controversial appointment that shook up Romania's gambling regulation in 2024. The latest working-group change comes under a new president and, if it produces consolidated legislation, would be the most systematic attempt reported so far to resolve inconsistencies in the framework rather than patch them.
What to watch next
- Publication of the working group's composition and any formal order establishing it.
- First draft regulatory acts or a consolidated text.
- Whether the ONJN opens public consultation on the proposed changes.
- Any timetable for adoption, which has not been announced.
Status reviewed on 2 November 2026. Details on the review come from the ONJN statement as reported by SBC News and JAMMA. More regulation news and EMEA coverage.
Frequently asked questions
What has the ONJN announced about Romanian gambling legislation?
The National Gambling Office (ONJN) has started a process to review and harmonize Romania's gambling legislation. Its president changed the membership of the working group that drafts regulatory acts for the sector. The group is tasked with analyzing existing rules, checking how provisions fit together and identifying what an overall revision would need to change.
Who leads the ONJN and ordered the review?
The review was mandated by ONJN President Valentin-Ioan Tomescu. SBC News reports he was appointed on 21 August 2026. According to the ONJN statement as reported on 2 November 2026, he modified the composition of the working group responsible for drafting regulatory acts and gave it a mandate to analyze and harmonize existing legislation.
Why is the ONJN revising gambling rules in Romania?
The ONJN says outdated regulations have caused fragmentation and inconsistencies across the gambling sector. It wants a structural, integrated approach rather than amending rules each time an application problem appears. Reported aims include a body of law that fits the current industry, supports the ONJN's supervision and control role, and gives operators predictability and legal certainty.
Will the ONJN review change licensing or tax rules for operators?
No specific changes have been named. The ONJN has not published draft text or listed which provisions it will amend, and SBC News reports no deadline has been set. Reports describe the work as targeting uncoordinated rules, overlaps and provisions needing updates across the framework, so operators should watch for draft acts and public consultations.
What does harmonizing gambling legislation mean?
Harmonizing means aligning existing laws, ordinances and implementing rules so they do not overlap or contradict each other. In the ONJN's case, the working group is to check coherence between provisions and identify changes for an overall revision, aiming for one consistent regulatory framework instead of a series of separate amendments.
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