Romania’s iGaming rules align with EU laws

The President of the National Office for Gambling, Odette Nestor, explained, “Through this ordinance, the Government has managed to regulate the online gambling sector, which was first regulated in 2010, but not completely. We now have a legal framework that allows gambling operators to be licensed in Romania, and through this licensing, we will protect minors and Romanian players.”

The state also stands to receive a boost to its coffers in terms of its fiscal funds, as the previous universal 25% income tax requirement has now been reduced to 1% for players with winnings below US$ 18,000 and 16% for winnings higher than US$ 18,000, while revenues greater than US$ 120,000 will still continue to be subject to a 25% tax rate.

Another important amendment also included in Government Emergency Ordinance Number 77/2009 is a requirement for operators to connect their slots and gambling machines to servers belonging to the National Office for Gambling, thus reducing the possibility of fiscal fraud. The majority of the new rules are designed to bring the country in line with requirements set by the European Commission, and are expected to come into force within  45 days.