Romanian National Gambling Authority

Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN) is a gambling regulator in Romania, which started its activity in 2013. This organization is engaged in the regulation of online gambling and land-based gambling. The department issues gambling licenses not only to operators who decide to open a casino, but also licenses the activities of casino software manufacturers, payment services, and other companies involved in the industry. Given the relatively small experience of ONJN, we note that the regulator is quite wealthy and develops not only the gambling business in the country for the sake of companies but also to take care of players. On the website, you can complain about any casino (online or offline).

Regulator licensed casinos

On the regulator's website, in the section "Approved," players can get acquainted with the companies licensed by the National Gambling Administration. Licenses are divided into classes. Online casinos with Romanian gambling licenses include NetBet, Betfair, PokerStars, 888, and others.

Oficiul Național Pentru Jocuri de Noroc review

The development of gambling in the country began in 1990 when Nicolae Ceausescu, the previous government of Romania, was overthrown. In 1991, the first large land-based casino built by Casino Austria appeared. Just a year later, the first regulatory body of the gambling industry appeared, and in 1993, the taxation of gambling establishments was approved.

Since 1998, the gambling industry in the state has been licensed, which has had a beneficial effect on this market. Casino owners were required to obtain a gambling license to open a casino and comply with the licensing rules and regulations. In 2003, the Romanian market became open to foreign betting companies.

Given the extraordinary pace of gambling development and the country's membership in the European Union, the existing legislation in this area required changes. In 2013, a number of regulations were passed, and the National Gambling Authority was established. This organization has become the main administrative body that controls and licenses all types of gambling activities in Romania, including online gambling.

Unlike most countries in Romania, Romania has a more loyal approach to player taxation. Previously, the operator was responsible for informing the relevant authorities about the player's winnings (the client withdrew money from the casino). Then, the players had to submit a declaration of income, after which they accrued tax amounts.

As of 2018, the online operator is responsible for withholding tax on each withdrawal of the player.

In land-based casinos, a payout of not more than 15,000 Euros is not taxable.

Regulator's functions:

• Licensing of land and online operators,
• Combating illegal gambling,
• Tax collection,
• Social responsibility.

It should be noted that regarding the protection of the population from gambling addiction, this direction is rather poorly developed. Still, a lot of work is being done, and significant changes are expected shortly.

Several measures will also soon be taken, including changes at the legislative level to regulate gambling advertising and the creation of a fund to help gambling addicts.

Interesting fact: Online casinos are required to pay 5,000 Euros annually to this fund, although it is not functioning as of 2019.

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License types of Oficiul Național Pentru Jocuri de Noroc

The national gambling authority of Romania has generally been quite succinct in its approach to licensing companies. There are only two main licenses for each category of company involved in the gambling business, although there are additional permissions for certain types of games.
Types of licenses:

Clasa I is a gambling license for the organization of land—or Internet-based gambling, including casinos and sports betting. 

Clasa II – a gambling license for companies providing services:

• Manufacturers, distributors, and companies operating with the use of gaming tools. This applies to land-based gambling
• Software vendors 
• Platform management service providers
• Providers (slots manufacturers)
• Certification lab
• Payment system 

Organizations wishing to open a casino or betting company must obtain additional permits. For example, a land-based casino requires a certificate to install each slot machine.

Additional permissions for land-based casino games:

• Slot machines
• Casino games (roulette, blackjack, poker, etc.)

When licensing an online casino, only one type of license, "Clasa I," is issued. This license includes all gambling games offered in this particular institution. A licensed online casino can offer poker, roulette, and slot machines.

Additional requirements for Internet establishments:

1. To obtain a gambling license for an online casino, it is necessary to place servers on the territory of Romania or install "mirrors". That is, the data from the casino server will be duplicated and provided to the regulator.
2. All transactions with players must occur through accounts opened in banks in Romania.
3. Online casinos must only accommodate service providers (software developers) possessing a gambling license ONJN Clasa II.
4. The casino must create a guarantee fund with a capital of 100,000 Euros. 

Class 1 gambling licenses are issued for ten years, and gaming permits are valid for only one year.

Taxation of gambling business depends on the type of activity and income of the institution:

Land-based establishments pay an annual tax, which depends on the type of game and reaches 5,000 - 95,000 euros. Bookmakers pay up to 16% of the income. Land-based casinos pay up to 60,000 Euros per table and 2,600 Euros per slot machine (no win limit).

Online casinos pay an annual tax depending on turnover: Up To 500,000 Euros – a tax of 6,000 Euros. If the turnover exceeds 10,000,000 Euros, the tax is 120,000 Euros.

Also, 16%  of the institution's income should be paid, but not less than 100,000 Euros per year.

Dispute resolution

The National Gambling Administration reacts quickly and efficiently to players' appeals (complaints). And it does not matter in which institution the incident occurred -online, land-based casino, or bookmaker. On the official website, there is a section "informatii obligatorii pentru verificare petitie", where the e-mail address to which you want to send your appeals is specified.

You must attach various documents depending on what institution (online or offline) receives a complaint.

For online casinos:

• Applicant name;
• Contact information (phone, e-mail);
• Name of the gaming platform (casino);
• E-mail address used to register at the institution;
• User name (nickname or ID);
• The date the incident occurred;
• Other documents confirming the complaint: possible correspondence with site representatives, screenshots, etc.
• Any other details the applicant deems important.
  

Conclusion

The national gambling authority of Romania is a relatively young organization, in fact, its activities in the online gambling industry began in 2014. Despite this, Casinoz considers this regulator to be quite promising and able to influence the development of gambling in this country positively. Also note the possibility of filing a complaint against the casino directly to the regulator.