Romania has replaced its gambling regulator’s head twice in 16 months. The new one is starting with a review of his own office.

Romania’s national gambling regulator has appointed its third head in just over a year, with the new leadership immediately launching an internal review following corruption investigations and damning audit findings. Valentin-Ioan Tomescu assumed control of ONJN (Oficiul National pentru Jocuri de Noroc) on 21 August and has outlined three priority areas: digitalisation, staffing, and addiction treatment.

The leadership change comes against a backdrop of serious institutional failures. In July, DNA anti-corruption prosecutors conducted searches at ONJN offices, while a Court of Accounts investigation revealed the regulator had not inspected a single online operator between 2014 and 2023.

Nine Years Without Online Operator Checks

The Court of Accounts audit uncovered a striking regulatory gap spanning nearly a decade. During this period, ONJN failed to verify RTP (Return to Player) declarations from any online gambling operators, creating significant uncertainty around tax compliance. The audit estimated the potential tax gap from unverified RTP declarations could reach up to 1.8 billion lei for 2023 alone.

This oversight represents a fundamental failure in regulatory supervision, particularly given the rapid growth of online gambling in Romania during this period. RTP verification is a core regulatory function, ensuring operators pay appropriate taxes based on actual game mathematics rather than self-reported figures.

Immediate Implications for License Holders

ONJN has already begun retrospective enforcement action, currently auditing five years of GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) data from licensed operators. This lookback period suggests the regulator is attempting to recover lost revenue and establish compliance baselines that should have been maintained throughout the past decade.

Operators holding Romanian licenses should expect intensified scrutiny of historical data submissions, particularly around RTP declarations and corresponding tax calculations. The five-year audit window indicates ONJN is working within standard statute of limitations periods for tax recovery.

Institutional Reform Under New Leadership

Tomescu’s 14 September announcement of priorities signals an attempt to address systemic weaknesses. The focus on digitalisation suggests ONJN’s technical infrastructure may have contributed to its inability to conduct routine operator checks. Staffing concerns point to potential resource constraints that left the regulator unable to fulfill basic oversight functions.

The inclusion of addiction treatment as a priority area indicates awareness that regulatory credibility extends beyond tax collection to player protection responsibilities.

The rapid turnover at ONJN’s leadership level, with three heads in 16 months, reflects broader instability in Romania’s gambling oversight framework. Whether the current administration can rebuild institutional capacity while simultaneously conducting retrospective audits and managing ongoing corruption investigations remains an open question for the country’s licensed operators.