Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has blacklisted 30 gambling websites after finding they were offering online casino and sports betting services without local licences. Internet service providers (ISPs) are required to block access within 15 days and redirect users to an official ONJN page.
The blocked domains include wazbee.casino, jacktop.com, roostake.com, several “nv” branded casinos (nv5.casino through nv93.casino), and various ybets platforms. These sites were targeting Romanian players without paying the required fees or following local rules.
How the blocking will work
The ONJN’s General Directorate for Computerisation and Monitoring of Gambling will distribute the blacklist to authorised ISPs within 48 hours. Players trying to access these sites will see a page confirming the operator is unauthorised. Operators may appeal through the Bucharest Court of Appeal within 30 days, though legal challenges are often slow and costly.
Heightened regulatory scrutiny
The action comes after a Court of Accounts (CCR) audit showed that ONJN did not properly supervise the gambling sector. This may have caused up to RON 3.6 billion (about $1 billion) in licence and authorisation fees to go unreported between 2019 and 2023. The report has led to political debate and calls for stricter rules, including limits on how much players can spend.
“This is not just about shutting down a few rogue operators. It’s a clear statement: Romania’s regulators are under pressure, and they are showing that enforcement will be stronger going forward,” said the ONJN.
Impact on licensed operators
Black-market sites undermine fair competition by avoiding taxes and offering larger bonuses. By removing these 30 domains, legal operators may see increased player traffic and more trust in the licensed market.
Decentralising gambling regulation
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has proposed allowing municipalities to decide whether gambling establishments can operate locally. “It is not enough to authorise gambling at the national level. City halls must be able to establish areas… where, based on a special tax, they can determine the intensity of such activities,” he said.
Local leaders, such as Nelu Popa, mayor of Reșița, support the measure. “Betting has become a scourge in Romania… I will completely eliminate gambling in central areas and near schools!” Development Minister Cseke Attila added that local authorities could also introduce a special annual tax for operators.
Tax increases for operators and players
Since 4 July, online gambling operators pay 27 percent tax on their total revenue, up from 21 percent, and retail operators pay 23 percent. Slot machine operators must pay €1,000 for each machine every year. All players’ winnings are taxed at 4 percent automatically, with no minimum amount exempt.
“There is already anecdotal evidence of players shifting to offshore platforms to avoid excessive taxation,” a local industry executive told Profit.ro. Dan Șucu of the Concordia Employers’ Confederation added, “We are categorically opposed to tax increases and we consider it deeply unfair for the private sector to pay again for the irresponsibility of governments in recent years.”
ONJN joins European Regulators’ Forum
ONJN has joined the Gambling Regulators’ European Forum (GREF), now with 44 members. The organisation said ONJN’s membership would “strengthen the association’s collective expertise and capacity to address the evolving challenges of gambling regulation across Europe.”
