What You Need to Know About the Gambling License in Romania

Who regulates gambling activity in Romania?

Answer:  The organisation of gambling in Romania is a State monopoly. The competent authority is the National Gambling Office (ONJN – Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc), which grants gambling licences and operating authorisations.

The State can grant the right of setting up the activity of games of chance, according to Romanian gambling laws, on the basis of a license, for the organization of each type of games of chance.

The games of chance are classified as follows:

• lottery games, in the case that they depend on the purely random outcomes of events;
• betting, if it depends on the outcomes of events that do not involve the organizers;
• games of chance characteristic for casinos;
• games of chance characteristic for poker clubs;
• slot machine-type games;
• bingo games played in gaming rooms;
• lottery games organized and transmitted via any communication system;
• casino-type games;
• fixed betting;
• mutual betting;
• counterpart betting, a correlation of online bets between various players;
• bingo and keno games;
• a tombola;
• any other type of games of chance, including new games or combinations of games defined so far;
• temporary games of chance (casino-type games organised in tourist resorts or on leisure craft, for 3 months, which may be extended by up to 3 more months).

Our team of lawyers in Romania can provide clarifications regarding these types of activities, as needed.

Which Romanian law regulates gambling as a business?

Answer: An organizer of games of chance can be any company, legally registered in Romania and authorized to conduct the activity of games of chance, in accordance with the provisions of the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 77/2009, as well as the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 92/2014, and with the methodological norms approved by Government Decision no. 111/2016. A gambling organizer can thus be any legal person who is licensed to organize and operate games of chance under the conditions provided by the legislation of the matter. The quality of a gambling organizer can also be acquired by a legally established Romanian legal person, as well as a legal person legally established in a Member State of the EU, or in a state signatory to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as well as in the Swiss Confederation.

A temporary gambling organizer can be constituted by a legal person, established under the same conditions as the previously mentioned ones, who organizes and operates games of chance in tourist resorts for a period of three months. Investors who need more information on the laws in force can reach out to our lawyers in Romania.

What documents are required to obtain a gaming license in Romania?

Answer: The documents required for the gambling organiser’s licence and for the operating authorisation are set out in Government Emergency Ordinance no. 77/2009 and its methodological norms (Government Decision no. 111/2016); the application is filed with the National Gambling Office (ONJN). Our Romanian lawyers can tell you which documents apply to your project.

Our Romanian law firm can help you obtain a gaming license or any other type of business license you need.

What conditions must be met to obtain a gambling license?

Answer: Yes, the conditions that must be fulfilled in order to obtain a gambling organizer’s license from the ONJN Monitoring Committee, in the case of traditions games of chance, are as follow

-the gambling operators must prove that:

• the main purpose of their activity is “organizing games of chance”;
• the police granted their approval;
• the amount of subscribed and paid-up share capital has been met;

-the legal person’s legal representatives will submit a selfdeclaration which will state that:

• the gambling operator has no final convictions that have not been served;
• the gambling operator is not incompatible;
• the identity of the real beneficiaries have no final convictions that have not been served and are not incompatible.
• there have been taken no administrative measures the legal person or their representatives in this field and there are no such administrative measures applied for a period of one year prior to the date of submission of the license application;
• for the last three years, the legal person was not a shareholder and/or an administrator for a company that has filed for bankruptcy;

Our Romanian lawyers also highlight the fact that another condition is related to the fact that there must be no court decision that resulted in a final conviction against any of the legal person’s legal representatives that has not been served, in Romania or in a foreign State;

How long are the license and the authorization valid for?

Answer: If the conditions are met, gambling organizers will be granted a gambling organizer’s license valid for 10 years from the date on which it is granted, except for the temporary games of chance for which the validity will be of three months.

 The gambling operator’s authorization is valid for one year starting from the date of its granting, except in the case of temporary games of chance, in which case the authorization is valid of a period of three months. Investors who need assistance during the licensing process can reach out to our attorneys in Romania.

What are the annual gambling fees in Romania?

Answer:  Gambling organizers pay an annual licence fee for the gambling organizer’s licence and an annual authorisation fee for each operating authorisation, both set by law according to the type of game of chance (for some games, the authorisation fee is a percentage of the organizer’s income, subject to a minimum). These fees are subject to change; our law firm in Romania can confirm the amounts applicable to your project.

Also, the minimum value of subscribed and paid-up share capital on the date of application for a gambling organizer’s license must be as follow:

• For organizers operating lottery games: minimum RON 2 000 000 RON
• For organizers operating mutual betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating fixed-rate betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating counterpart betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating games of chance characteristic of casinos: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating slot machinetype games: minimum RON 30 000
• For organizers operating bingo games taking place in gambling halls: minimum RON 100 000
• For organizers operating the online games of chance presented in h)-m): minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating bingo games of chance organized via television network systems: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers operating temporary games: minimum RON 1 000 000
• For organizers of poker festivals: minimum RON 100 000 (the same minimum applies to organizers of poker clubs and of tombola games)

Our lawyers in Romania are here to help you register a company in this field of activity and to assist you in obtaining the requiered licenses for gambling businesses. We want to make the process hassle free for you, so call us anytime for a free consultation. They can also help you open a micro company or any type of company you choose for your new business.

Our lawyers in Bucharest also provide other types of services such as those that target property purchase and real estate investments. Foreign nationals are permitted to purchase properties in the country, however, certain requirements are in place for buying land in Romania. Our team will give you complete details about the current conditions and can represent you in front of the seller.

You can also rely on our legal assistance and expertise if you need help with matters concerning separation or getting a divorce in Romania. The process is different, depending on whether you and your former spouse can separate amicably or will need a court order for divorce. We can also answer questions concerning the treatment of joint assets and child custody.