January 2026
The Romanian gambling sector is undergoing one of its most assertive overhauls since the 2015 framework, with policy and enforcement converging in the final stretch of 2025.
A reset in regulatory leadership at the National Office for Gambling (ONJN) in April 2025 has been followed by a visibly tougher positioning: repeated blacklist decisions against unlicensed sites, culminating this autumn with the inclusion of crypto-based prediction market Polymarket after a surge of election-driven activity, and public messaging that illegal “counterparty betting” (to be read as exchange betting) will be treated as regulated gambling requiring full authorization. These steps, taken through formal ONJN decisions and communicated alongside a broader program of compliance actions, signal a shift from sporadic takedowns to sustained market-cleansing backed by legal process.
In parallel, the legislative and policy pipeline has accelerated. Law no. 141/2025 introduced mid-year amendments affecting a variety of new obligations for B2B providers, while the audiovisual regulator refined the advertising guardrails in 2025, notably by banning celebrity/influencer endorsements of gambling across TV, radio and social media. At the municipal and parliamentary levels, fresh proposals would push the perimeter further: Bucharest has tabled measures to remove gambling publicity from city-controlled outdoor assets from 1 January 2026, and cross-party initiatives now on the docket would raise the participation age to 21 and curb most daytime online advertising (if it can be somehow accepted that online works according to a linear schedule), aligning rhetoric on public health with enforceable rules. Together, these strands depict a maturing regime that is simultaneously narrowing the space for unauthorized operators and recalibrating exposure to marketing, with compliance expectations rising across B2C and B2B layers alike.
Against this background, Andrei Cosma & Adela Nuță authored an extensive article looking at a few news-making topics that are concerning the Romanian gambling market and the international community at large, namely:
- Black market betting and the Polymarket ban
- Rationale for the blacklisting:
- Polymarket’s status in other jurisdictions:
- Tightening restrictions on gambling advertising
Outlook and reflections
The final months of 2025 mark a transformative period for Romania’s gambling law regime, characterized by assertive regulatory interventions. On one front, the government and ONJN are cracking down on the supply side of illicit gambling, exemplified by the high-profile blacklisting of Polymarket and efforts to block unlicensed websites and their facilitators. On another front, lawmakers are targeting the demand side stimulants, placing new limits on how and where gambling can be promoted to the public. Both strategies face a common challenge: how to effectively enforce rules in the digital age without driving players to the shadow market or infringing legitimate business.
NOTE: This overview reflects the regulatory framework as at December 2025. Given the dynamic nature of gambling regulation, readers should seek tailored legal advice for any current or specific circumstances, as certain legal positions may have already evolved since the time of writing.
The article was prepared for and first published by the IMGL Magazine, and is available for download HERE.
The latest issue of the magazine is available HERE.
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