Romania’s government plans to shut down the National Gambling Office (ONJN), which is the main authority overseeing gambling activities, according to the newspaper Adevărul. Months of political debates, increased public anger, and a harsh audit led up to this big decision, especially after discovering roughly €1 billion was lost from gambling taxes due to weak regulatory actions.

The announcement to take apart ONJN comes soon after Vlad-Cristian Soare was given the top job at the regulator, as many hoped he could turn years of chaos around. Although Soare spoke about wanting “decency” and more professionalism in the office, meaningful improvements quickly stalled. Confusing legal gaps, poor management, and louder complaints made it clear that fixing trust was not going to be a fast process.

Billions Lost, Trust Broken

Romania’s Court of Accounts reported that almost €1 billion vanished from gambling tax income between 2019 and 2023 due to the ONJN’s failures. The audit revealed a regulator using old computer systems, not properly checking the accuracy of return-to-player rates, and almost losing control of which companies actually held licences or paid taxes.

Making things worse, ONJN failed to respond well after the 2019 gambling tax change brought in a 2% monthly levy on online gambling participation fees. Soare only started as ONJN’s chief weeks ago but introduced ideas such as updating IT systems, finding better employees, and working together with the National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF). Critics, however, said these moves were far too late to save a damaged agency whose public trust had already collapsed.

Reforms That Never Came

One of the major initiatives ONJN was supposed to introduce was a national self-exclusion platform, letting gamblers block their online access through the regulator’s portal—an important step compared to what exists now. Real progress froze, though. The Senate’s Legal Committee delayed votes on two important gambling reform bills, explaining they needed time to understand details like whether people could change their self-exclusion status and how income-based betting limits might be enforced.

At the same time, more politicians started stating what others quietly felt: ONJN had become ineffective. Some demanded its responsibilities be handed to the Ministry of Finance and ANAF, arguing ONJN lacked both the respect of the public and the necessary tools to keep the industry in order.

Black Market Threat Grows

While talks dragged on, those most at risk stayed unprotected. Groups working on gambling addiction and player rights warned that these constant delays in making responsible gambling rules are pushing people to use black market betting sites. Players at these illegal operators receive almost zero protection and gamble far away from any Romanian law.