Online Casinos in Romania

🗝️ Key Takeaways

• Romania regulates online gambling through the ONJN (Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc), a specialised body subordinated to the Ministry of Finance. Licences are issued under GEO 77/2009, with the most significant amendments taking effect on 1 August 2025.
• Your winnings are taxed on every withdrawal from a licensed online platform. There is no tax-free threshold for online gambling. The progressive rates are: up to RON 10,000 (~€2,000) at 4%, RON 10,001 to RON 66,750 at RON 400 + 20% of the amount over RON 10,000, and above RON 66,750 at RON 11,750 + 40% of the excess.
• Romania is one of the few European countries where players themselves face fines. If you are caught gambling at an unlicensed operator, you risk an administrative fine of RON 5,000 to RON 10,000 (~€1,000 to €2,000).
• A national self-exclusion register managed directly by ONJN is rolling out in the first half of 2026. Players who were allowed to gamble while self-excluded can recover their deposits from the operator.
• Celebrity and influencer advertising for gambling has been banned since October 2025 across television, radio, and online platforms. ONJN achieved a 98% takedown rate for illegal gambling content on Meta, Google, and TikTok.
• The operator GGR tax was raised from 21% to 30% on 1 August 2025, with a minimum annual payment of €480,000. Each online operator must also contribute €500,000 annually to a responsible gambling fund.

Romania's online gambling market is undergoing one of the most turbulent regulatory periods of any European country. A regulator scandal that left over €900 million in fees uncollected, a complete overhaul of player taxation, and a political push to potentially disband the ONJN altogether have reshaped the landscape for both operators and players.

This page covers what the Romanian market looks like after the 2025 reforms, how the new tax system affects your winnings, which internationally licensed casinos accept Romanian players, and the enforcement risks that are unique to this market.

🏛️ How Romania's Market Works

The ONJN issues Class 1 licences to B2C operators and Class 2 licences to B2B suppliers (software, platforms, payment processors, affiliates). The Romanian National Lottery holds a Class 3 monopoly license for lottery products.

Online licences run for 10 years, and operators must renew their authorisation annually. Every licensed online operator must establish a permanent presence in Romania or register a permanent establishment for tax purposes.

Licensed operators whose primary servers are located abroad must install duplicate servers on Romanian soil, giving the ONJN direct access to all gaming data. Since April 2025, the regulator has secured full access to the 12 mandatory tax reports from operator platforms, a capability it previously lacked entirely.

The security deposit for online casino operations is €5 million, while online betting requires €2 million. Operating without a licence is a criminal offence, punishable by one month to one year in prison and dissolution of the offending entity.

For Romanian players looking beyond the domestic licensed market, internationally licensed casinos offer broader game access, crypto support, and promotional packages. Riobet Casino offers a 225% first deposit bonus with 70 free spins, while Stupid Casino provides a 100% match up to €300 with 100 bonus spins, both with full live dealer and cryptocurrency access.

⚠️ Player Fines for Unlicensed Gambling

Romania stands apart from virtually every other European market we cover in one critical respect: you can be fined for gambling at an unlicensed operator. Under GEO 77/2009, any individual in Romania who participates in online gambling operated by an unlicensed or unauthorised entity faces an administrative fine of RON 5,000 to RON 10,000 (~€1,000 to €2,000).

This is not a criminal offence, but it is an enforceable administrative penalty. In European countries like Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, enforcement is directed exclusively at operators, not players.

Romania is the exception. The internationally licensed casinos we list operate under recognised jurisdictions such as Curaçao and hold valid licences within their home regulatory frameworks. However, they are not licensed by the ONJN, which means Romanian law treats access to these platforms the same as access to any other unlicensed site.

Players should be aware of this distinction.

🎮 Games and Providers

Licensed Romanian platforms offer slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, bingo, sports betting, and live casino content. Slots remain the dominant category, consistent with broader European trends.

At the casinos we list, the game provider ecosystem extends significantly beyond what the domestic market typically offers. Verde Casino carries an extensive selection from Red Tiger Gaming and Blueprint Gaming, Kryptosino features a broad slots library alongside live casino tables, and Thor Casino offers crash games, roulette, and blackjack from Pocket Games Soft and Yggdrasil Gaming.

Every game page on VistaGamble shows the RTP and volatility upfront, and you can try most titles in demo mode before committing any real money.

🎁 Bonuses and Promotions

Romania's advertising restrictions limit how domestic operators can promote their offers. The October 2025 celebrity and influencer ban removed one of the most visible promotional channels, and remaining advertising must include responsible gambling messaging and cannot target minors.

At the internationally licensed casinos we list, promotional packages are substantially broader and more detailed. Spassino Casino offers a 200% welcome bonus up to €50 on your first deposit, a 100% match up to €1,000 on your first crypto deposit, a 50% weekly reload bonus up to €500, and a €20 no deposit bonus for new registrations.

Wolfy Casino spreads its welcome package across three deposits: 100% up to €200 on the first, 50% up to €300 on the second, and 50% up to €400 on the third, totalling up to €900 with zero wagering requirements on all three. Wolfy also runs an unlimited cashback programme based on total bet volume, completely wager-free and claimable at any time.

Stupid Casino structures a similar multi-deposit package: 100% up to €300 on the first deposit, 50% up to €400 on the second, and 100% up to €300 on the third, totalling up to €1,000. A recurring Silly Saturday promotion adds a 100% bonus up to €150 with zero wagering requirements.

Before accepting any promotion, always review the full terms. Maximum bet restrictions and game weighting rules vary by operator and directly affect the real value of any offer.

💳 Payment Methods

Romanian players at licensed platforms primarily use domestic bank cards and direct bank transfers through major Romanian banks. Visa and Mastercard are universally accepted payment methods.

At the internationally licensed casinos we list, additional options include Payz, eZeeWallet, MiFinity, and cryptocurrency including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and Litecoin. CasinoStars and Hit'n'Spin support both fiat and crypto deposits, while Riobet offers one of the broadest crypto selections of any casino we list.

RON (Romanian Leu) is the domestic currency. At internationally licensed casinos operating in EUR or USD, check whether RON is supported directly to avoid conversion fees.

🪪 KYC and Player Protection

Licensed Romanian operators verify your identity before allowing access, and the ONJN maintains a centralised register of self-excluded persons. A unified national self-exclusion scheme covering both retail and online gambling is scheduled for full deployment in the first half of 2026, managed directly by the regulator rather than individual operators.

A unique protection: if an operator allows you to gamble while you are on the self-exclusion register, you have the legal right to recover your deposits minus any withdrawals made during that period. The ONJN also launched a WhatsApp reporting channel in July 2025, allowing citizens to flag suspected illegal gaming machines directly to the regulator.

Combined with the 98% takedown rate on social media platforms, enforcement against unlicensed operators is significantly more aggressive than it was before the 2025 leadership change.

💰 Tax on Winnings

Romania imposes one of the harshest player tax regimes in any market we cover. Since 1 August 2025, a progressive tax applies to every withdrawal from your online casino account, with no tax-free threshold.

The operator withholds the tax automatically before paying out. The rates are: up to RON 10,000 (~€2,000) at 4%, from RON 10,001 to RON 66,750 (~€13,350) at RON 400 plus 20% of the amount over RON 10,000, and above RON 66,750 at RON 11,750 plus 40% of the excess.

This means even small wins are taxed from the first RON. By comparison, Belgium does not tax casual players at all, and the Czech Republic exempts winnings below CZK 50,000 (~€2,000) per game type per year.

Romania offers no such relief for online players. At the internationally licensed casinos we list, no withholding is applied at the point of payout.

Spinbetter offers a 100% welcome bonus up to €300 with 30 free spins, and all other casinos we recommend pay your full winnings without deduction.

Any tax reporting obligation for offshore winnings sits with you under Romanian tax law.

📰 The Regulator Under Pressure

The ONJN entered 2025 in crisis. Romania's Court of Accounts found that the regulator had failed to collect over €900 million in authorisation fees between 2019 and 2023.

The former ONJN president, Gabriel Gheorghe, resigned. Vlad-Cristian Soare took over in April 2025 and immediately replaced the management of both the monitoring and control directorates.

Soare discovered that the ONJN had not had real access to the mirror servers of online operators, meaning no effective monitoring of gaming data had been carried out for years. Full server access was only secured in 2025.

The regulator also uncovered evidence of GGR manipulation by certain operators, who reported fake player wins to reduce their taxable revenue. In one case, a single player reportedly "won" 84 times in a single day, generating RON 10 million in fictitious payouts.

The Save Romania Union (USR), a coalition partner, has called for ONJN to be disbanded entirely and replaced with a new regulatory body. Meanwhile, 20 legislative proposals have been submitted to Parliament proposing sweeping changes to the gambling law, including raising the minimum age to 21.

The outcome will shape Romania's market for years.

🌟 VistaGamble's Honest Assessment

Romania's market is in flux. The regulatory overhaul is genuine, but the transition creates uncertainty for both operators and players.

➕ The Positives

• Self-Exclusion Deposit Recovery Is Unmatched: Romania is the only market we cover where a self-excluded player can legally recover deposits from an operator that failed to block them.
• Celebrity Advertising Ban Reduces Predatory Marketing: Removing influencers and public figures from gambling promotion is a meaningful step toward reducing exposure among younger audiences.
• 98% Takedown Rate on Social Platforms: The enforcement collaboration with Meta, Google, and TikTok is the most effective content removal programme we have seen in any market.
• International Casinos Provide Full Game and Crypto Access: The casinos we list offer broader game catalogues, crypto payments, welcome bonuses, and promotional flexibility that the Romanian domestic market restricts.

➖ The Negatives

• Players Face Fines for Unlicensed Gambling: Romania is one of the only European markets where you personally risk a financial penalty for accessing an unlicensed site.
• No Tax-Free Threshold for Online Winnings: Every withdrawal is taxed from the first RON, creating one of Europe's least player-friendly tax environments.
• Regulator Credibility Is Damaged: The €900 million fee collection failure and years of missing server access raise serious questions about the quality of oversight Romanian players have received.
• Political Uncertainty Over ONJN's Future: Calls to disband the regulator and rewrite the gambling law create an unpredictable environment for both operators and players.

🔒 Conclusion

Romania's online gambling market is undergoing a once-in-a-generation regulatory reset. The 2025 tax increases, enforcement overhaul, and political pressure on ONJN have created a market that is more closely monitored but also more expensive and uncertain for players than at any point since regulation began.

The internationally licensed casinos we list offer Romanian players crypto payments, welcome bonuses, broader access to game providers, and promotional offerings that the domestic market currently restricts. Explore our full list of recommended casinos above in this review to see all operators accepting players from Romania.

Frequently Asked Questions❓

Is online gambling legal in Romania?

Yes, online gambling has been regulated since 2015-2016 under GEO 77/2009, with major tax and enforcement amendments effective from August 2025. The ONJN issues all licences.

Can I be fined for playing at an unlicensed casino in Romania?

Yes, under Romanian law, individuals who gamble at unlicensed operators face administrative fines of RON 5,000 to RON 10,000 (~€1,000 to €2,000). This is unique among European markets.

Are my gambling winnings taxed in Romania?

Yes, on every withdrawal, and there is no tax-free threshold for online gambling. Rates start at 4% for winnings up to RON 10,000 and rise progressively to 40% above RON 66,750.

What is the national self-exclusion register?

A unified system managed by ONJN covering both retail and online gambling, scheduled for full deployment in the first half of 2026. If an operator allows you to play while self-excluded, you can legally recover your deposits.

What happened with the ONJN scandal?

The Court of Accounts found that ONJN failed to collect over €900 million in authorisation fees between 2019 and 2023. The former president resigned, and the new leadership discovered the regulator had lacked real access to online operators' servers for years.

What is the minimum gambling age in Romania?

18 years old, though a legislative proposal to raise it to 21 is currently before Parliament.