Romania inaugurates new gambling regulator

It’s taken some time to get organised – the appropriate laws were passed back in 2010 – but the Romanian government has finally appointed a regulator to oversee nationally licensed online gambling operations in the Eastern European country.

The tough laws that the National Gambling Office will regulate and enforce in cooperation with the national police make it an offence for Romanian punters to gamble online at any unlicensed website, with Washington state-like punitive measures that can include a 2 year stretch in jail.

The law also prescribes hefty punishments for unlicensed operators offering online gambling to Romanians, and imposes restrictions on advertising and marketing of the pastime.

To date, the law has not been enforced due to the absence of a regulator, but that all changes with the appointment of the NGO, which starts exercising its mandate and authority from April 15 2013.

Despite earlier objections from the European Commission on the discriminatory nature of Romania’s internet gambling law – licenses are reserved for entities that have a registered company presence in the country and are partners of shareholders in existing land casino operations – the legislation has been implemented and will now be enforced.

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