Key Points
- FEDBET claims that the number of machines with valid permits declined from 43,306 in March to 15,579 as at 1 November.
- According to FEDBET, less than 4% of around 3,100 Romanian local units have made necessary decisions for permit renewals.
- Loss of valid permits does not indicate closure of venues, while the losses are estimates made by the gambling industry.
Romania loses 27,727 slot machine permits from March until 1 November, claims FEDBET. This decline in number is mainly caused not by the ban but by local councils’ failure to make decisions. The issue raises the question of responsibility for such losses of permits and possible outcomes for 1 January.
Valid Slot Permits Down to 15,579 From 43,306
According to the alert issued by FEDBET on 9 November, the number of slot machines with valid permits was 43,306 in March. As of 1 November, the number declined to 15,579. If no new decisions are made by the local councils, there is expected to be a decrease in numbers down to 9,096 on 1 January 2027.
This shows that there are 27,727 lost permits, which constitute 64.0% of the March figure. This figure will increase to 79.0% by January. There is expected to be a reduction in 80% of authorised machines and venues on the market by the end of 2026. FEDBET’s prediction for January is almost the same as this estimate.
How a February Ordinance Allowed Councils More Room for Manoeuvre?
Even before Emergency Ordinance 7/2026, Romania was already making efforts towards restrictions on slot halls, having decided in 2024 to ban them in municipalities under 15,000 people. Later on, Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said that gambling venues would need permits to be opened on particular streets in a particular municipality.
The ordinance, which came into effect on 25 February, stipulated an additional permit issued by the council to the national gambling licence. According to the terms, each local council needs to decide by resolution whether gambling can run in its territory or not. Moreover, councils are responsible for issuing and denying annual local authorisations.
Existing permits remain valid until their expiry, which is why FEDBET is right when saying that the peak of the decline occurred in August. The biggest problem lies in renewals, as ONJN cannot issue a permit unless there is a decision from the council. According to FEDBET, less than 4% of approximately 3,100 local units issued the required decision, as the 60-day term expired in April.
According to Romslot, Andrei Frimescu, interviewed by iGaming Business, says that the gambling market is still stuck in a “Catch-22” situation. As the report states, councils are not penalised for not having made the decisions in time. Thereby, there is no incentive to make them sooner. In May, iGaming Business reported that a no-confidence vote has made it impossible for Bucharest to give any clarification soon.
Iași Bans Slot Halls in Contrast to Indecisiveness of Other Councils
In fact, some councils have already taken action. In Iași, the councillors voted unanimously on 27 April to eliminate slot halls after their permits’ expiry date. Also, local media have stated that all other localities in that county introduced a ban on gambling.
As Slatina Mayor Mario De Mezzo said, such business is “toxic for society.” It has been estimated that up to 200 localities can introduce gambling bans according to a report by iGaming Business in May.
Such local councils have made definite decisions, but FEDBET states that the real problem is those local authorities who did not respond to the applications of gambling operators. As Romslot says, councils can only tax or ban such business. BMA Legal predicts the legal dispute.
FEDBET Seeks Temporary Rules and Volunteers Data
FEDBET seeks temporary rules that would enable operators fulfilling all the necessary criteria to keep running their businesses until decisions of the local councils are made.
As quoted in European Gaming, the president of the federation, Domșa, claims that gambling businesses are not looking for tax relief but for “a way out of the uncertainty.”
In his warning, he stated: “The first thing lost in a deadlock is player protection.” He also mentioned that “in other words, the gambling does not disappear, but control does.” Furthermore, Domșa noted that FEDBET is ready to offer all its data and to undergo verification at any time.
The federation estimated that about 8,500 jobs were affected and that the loss could amount to almost €320 million for the year. The amount of €320 million was provided by FEDBET and has not been independently verified by any of the sources analysed.
The draft budget amendment for 2026 by the Ministry of Finance also reveals the gap between the projected and expected gambling tax income – gambling tax revenue is missing 750 million lei compared to its target.
According to FEDBET, the biggest part of the deficit refers to the months when permits expired, which means that the biggest financial loss has yet to come.
Illegal Gambling Sites Are Active, but Player Migration Remains Unproven
The federation warns that the closure of gambling venues may drive gamblers to using illegal websites, where no age verification and deposit limits are applied.
The National Office of Gambling (ONJN) reported on 31 July that there were 800 blacklisted illegal gambling websites, which surpassed the previous record of about 370. Moreover, ONJN introduced a tool, which detects cloned websites that get new domains after being blacklisted.
The growing black list proves the existence of illegal gambling sites, but it does not prove the migration of the slot-hall players there.
Superbet Keeps Its Stores but Gets Rid of Betting Slips and Slots
As of 1 September, a major portion of the Superbet retail chain switched into Home of Superliga stores, which no longer offer betting slips and slots. Employees of such facilities are still able to deposit money into online Superbet and Napoleon accounts and help users register.
A lot of the company’s licenses expire on 31 August, which makes 1 September the deadline.
The figures of the lists issued by the company as of 1 September amounted to 108 places offering betting and slots, 37 offering betting only and 96 offering slots only. The company noted that the figures may change due to local councils’ decisions.
According to iGaming Today, the new strategy works on the difference between offline and online gambling. Superbet insists that people younger than 18 are still not allowed into the venues and self-exclusion checks keep working.
ONJN to Meet on 18 November Without Addressing Permit Deadlock
The ONJN Consultative Council is set to hold its meeting on Wednesday, 18 November, at 11:00. The agenda includes addiction treatment, self-exclusion, online gambling without license, transaction records of land-based operators and the impact of new regulation.
There is no mention of the permit deadlock in the agenda. No information published so far suggests that the meeting will solve the problem.
After the appointment of Valentin-Ioan Tomescu as the ONJN president in August, a wide review of Romania’s gambling legislation has been initiated. Valentin-Ioan Tomescu succeeded Vlad-Cristian Soare, who was fired by the Romanian prime minister on 21 August with no public explanation given.
Expert Analysis: Is Romania Banning Slot Halls or Simply Permit Expiry?
Our view is that FEDBET has pointed to a real issue here, although its numbers have not been verified independently. Valid permit means the machine is in operation, and the expiration of the permit does not always mean closing of the venue. The forecast of 9,096 permits also depends on the ongoing delays of councils to take any decision. Each new resolution may make this forecast different.
The numbers above refer to two different things: councils which have publicly announced a ban on gambling and areas where permits are expiring without a decision made. The second case is much harder to explain since the expiration of license without the decision of the council means that no public vote was conducted. Proponents of the gambling bans can argue that decreasing the number of slot halls was exactly the goal pursued, as some mayors admitted. Bans should be voted at all times.
We believe that the idea of FEDBET that the closures will drive gamblers to online gaming is justified. The blacklist will prove the existence of illegal websites, while the data of customers can prove whether people are playing there or not. The reviewed sources do not provide such information. The tax gap of 750 million lei is an issue of the Ministry of Finance, according to FEDBET, and it happened long before the big number of permits expired.
Conversion of Superbet outlets suggests that prohibition of physical gambling venues will lead to deposits being made into online accounts of the company but not stop the contact with customers. Information on how venue bans increase player protection will have to be confirmed with appropriate evidence, and neither party has provided enough of it.
Monthly extracts from the register can be published by ONJN in order to clarify the situation with permits. FEDBET is willing to share its data with authorities and we believe that ONJN should look into them. By 1 January it will be clear whether FEDBET’s forecast of 9,096 permits was exaggerated, underestimated or right.
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