Romania Gambling License

Who regulates gambling in Romania?

Romania's gambling regulator is the Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN), the National Gambling Office. ONJN was established by GEO 20/2013 and reports to the Ministry of Finance. ONJN issues Class 1 and Class 2 licenses, grants annual operating authorisations and maintains the public register of licensees.

Decisions are taken by the ONJN Supervisory Committee, which meets roughly twice a month.

Legal framework

The most consequential recent change is GEO 82/2023. Since 6 October 2023, a Class 1 applicant must hold the license through a Romanian company or a registered Romanian permanent establishment, with a six-month transition for operators already licensed.

What are the advantages of a Romania gambling license?

A Romania gambling license gives access to a regulated market under the supervision of an EU member state regulator. The license to organise runs 10 years and is renewable for identical periods. ONJN operates a defined two-instrument regime, so license conditions and annual obligations are set out in statute rather than negotiated case by case.

• License term of 10 years, renewable for identical periods.

• Supervision by an EU member state regulator, under a framework aligned with EU rules.

• A substantial domestic market that has moved online: the online share stood at 52% in 2023 and reached around 71%. Source: iGaming Business, Romania gambling reform leaves land-based in limbo.

• Statutory, published fee and requirement structure.

• Access to EU and EEA banking and payment infrastructure for a licensed Romanian entity.

What does a Romania gambling license cover?

A Class 1 license covers business-to-consumer online gambling in three groups: online casino, which also covers online poker, peer-to-peer games and online slots; betting, which covers sports betting on fixed odds, exchange and pari-mutuel betting; and online bingo, which also covers keno. Each group requires its own annual authorisation to operate in addition to the license.

A Romania casino license is not a separate instrument. Online casino is one of the three Class 1 verticals, and it carries its own annual authorisation alongside the Class 1 license. A Romania iGaming license is not a separate instrument either: it is the same Class 1 license covering every online vertical.

Lottery games, including online lottery, are a state monopoly of the Romanian National Lottery and are not available to private operators. A Class 1 license does not cover lottery games.

What are the types of Romania gambling licenses?

Romania issues two license classes. A Class 1 license covers B2C operators that contract directly with players. A Class 2 license covers B2B suppliers: software producers and distributors, platform hosting, payment processors, affiliates and testing laboratories. A Class 1 operator may use only suppliers that hold a Class 2 license.

The two classes are separate instruments with separate fees. A Class 2 license does not authorise B2C activity, and a Class 1 license does not authorise supply to other operators.

Who is the Romania license suitable for?

A Romania gambling license suits established, well funded operators. An applicant must be ready to set up a Romanian company or permanent establishment, constitute a guarantee fund of €2,000,000 or €5,000,000, and carry an authorisation tax of 30% of gross gaming revenue. Romania is not a low-cost entry jurisdiction.

Romania fits operators who need an EU member state regulator and can absorb fixed annual obligations before margin. Operators looking for a fast, low-cost first license should compare offshore jurisdictions first.

How much does a Romania gambling license cost?

A Romania gambling license is priced on separate layers. The annual license fee for an online Class 1 operator is €300,000. The authorisation tax is 30% of gross gaming revenue, minimum €480,000 a year. The guarantee fund is €2,000,000, rising to €5,000,000 for online casino. A Class 2 license costs €20,000 per year.

Sources: GEO 77/2009 Annex I.J and Annex pt. 2 H; Law 141/2025 Annex II.J; GEO 82/2023 art. 10(4) and art. 29. Corroborated by ICLG Gambling Laws and Regulations 2026.

The license fee, the authorisation tax and the responsible gambling contribution are separate obligations, not alternatives. Euro amounts are converted into RON at the exchange rate of the first working day of October in the year preceding the due date.

What taxes apply to a Romania gambling license?

Romania charges an authorisation tax of 30% of gross gaming revenue on Class 1 operators, never less than €480,000 per year, raised by Law 141/2025, Annex II.J, in force since 1 August 2025. The previous rate was 21%. Player winnings are taxed separately on withdrawal, from 4% up to RON 10,000 to 40% above RON 66,750.

Player winnings tax is calculated and withheld on each transfer from the game account to a bank account, which means on withdrawal rather than on each individual win. Tax rates as of August 2025. Sources re-verified July 2026.

How long does it take to get a Romania gambling license?

Getting a Romania gambling license takes about four months for a Class 1 license and about two months for a Class 2 license, from the start of preparation to the license entering force. ONJN resolves an application within 30 days of receiving complete documentation, but the procedure regularly runs longer because ONJN requests supplementary documents.

Sources: CMS Expert Guide to Gambling Laws in CEE (preparation and review times); Legal500 Romania Gambling Law, October 2025 (30-day statutory resolution and that the procedure generally exceeds it; nine-business-day pre-filing deadline and Supervisory Committee cadence); ICLG Gambling Laws and Regulations 2026 (entry into force).

Complete documentation must reach ONJN at least nine business days before a Supervisory Committee meeting, and the Committee meets roughly twice a month.

Factors that extend the timeline:

• Registration of the Romanian company or permanent establishment.

• Technical audit of the IT system and certification of each game by a Class 2 laboratory.

• Requests from ONJN for additional documents, which restart the review clock.

• The Supervisory Committee meeting schedule.

• The entry-into-force rule: approval late in a month still means the license starts on the first day of the next one.

How long is a Romania gambling license valid?

A Romania gambling license runs 10 years and is renewable for identical periods. The annual authorisation to operate is a separate instrument: the authorisation runs one year and is renewed annually for each vertical. The license term and the authorisation term run on different clocks and are tracked separately.

Losing the annual authorisation stops the games even while the 10-year license remains valid.

Is a Romania gambling license valid across the EU?

No. A Romania gambling license is ring-fenced: the license authorises gambling for Romanian players only. Romania grants no EU passporting rights, and ONJN recognises no foreign license, including a Malta Gaming Authority license. Any operator targeting Romanian players needs an ONJN license and authorisation regardless of licenses held elsewhere. The EU advantage is the regulator, not market access.

Operators who need broader European reach should compare Romania with Malta.

What are the disadvantages of a Romania gambling license?

The disadvantages are cost and commitment. Romania charges 30% of gross gaming revenue, with a floor of €480,000 per year. A guarantee fund of €2,000,000 or €5,000,000 must be constituted. A Romanian company or permanent establishment is mandatory, which adds cost and time. Authorisations and audits recur annually.

• Authorisation tax of 30% of gross gaming revenue, minimum €480,000 per year, raised from 21% in 2025.

• Guarantee fund of €2,000,000 or €5,000,000.

• Mandatory Romanian company or permanent establishment, with the cost and lead time that carries.

• Ring-fenced license: it covers the Romanian market only, with no EU passporting.

• Not a low-cost jurisdiction.

• Annual authorisation renewal and recurring technical audits.

How does Romania compare with other gaming licenses?

Romania is a high-cost, EU-regulated jurisdiction. A Romania gambling license carries a license fee of €300,000 per year and an authorisation tax of 30% of gross gaming revenue. Malta charges €45,000 with a 5% gross gaming revenue tax. Offshore options such as Curaçao and Anjouan cost less and levy no gaming tax.

Full detail on each alternative: Malta, Curaçao and Anjouan.

Why choose MGL for a Romania gambling license?

MGL Solutions has obtained 300+ gaming licenses with no rejections to date and has consulted 500+ operators. For Romania, MGL handles the full ONJN route: Romanian company or permanent establishment registration under GEO 82/2023, the compliance dossier, Class 2 laboratory certification, the server architecture, and the annual authorisation cycle.

• One intake form to start. MGL assembles the ONJN dossier from it.

• Fixed-fee pricing agreed before work starts.

• Romanian company or permanent establishment set up under GEO 82/2023.

• Compliance dossier, AML and KYC policies, Class 2 laboratory certification and the safe and mirror server architecture.

• Annual authorisation cycle handled after the license is granted.

Discuss your Romania application with MGL.