Online casinos accepting players from Romania

Online gambling…

… has been through a lot ever since its beginnings. Sure, so has land-based gambling, but in modern times such as these, one would think things would go smoother for online gambling. But the fact that everyone has access to the internet only makes things more difficult.

Governments…

… are most concerned about children’s access to the internet and online casinos, and that’s why they impose the strictest measures to prevent underage gambling. Some opt for a complete ban on online gambling, while others use measures proven by well-established markets to combat gambling harm.

Romania…

… had land-based gambling regulated before plans on regulating interactive gambling first appeared. And even though one would think that regulating online gambling would be a piece of cake for the country, there were actually many failed attempts.

Land-based gambling…

… was active and regulated, with proper tax rates, when the country entered the European Union in 2007. And in fact, this was the time when the idea of regulating remote gambling appeared.

The first draft…

… of the online gambling legislation was sent to the European Commission (EC) in 2010. The draft was rejected, mainly due to the requirement for operators to be established in Romania and have their servers there, in order to get a license. There were other concerns to the draft, as well.

In 2011…

… Romania submitted secondary legislation to the EC, amending several things, but it was rejected again since it had not removed the requirement for operators to be established in the country.

But the Ministry of Finance…

… announced it would introduce the legislation either way, knowing it could lead to EU infringement proceedings. The government passed Government Emergency Ordinance (GEO) no.20/2013, establishing a National Office for Gambling (ONJN), authorized to issue remote gambling licenses to companies already incorporated in Romania. The ONJN commenced regulating on the 15^th of April, 2013.

The ONJN…

… announced that the new legislation would be compatible with EU laws, and the proposed amendments would include reducing market access restrictions, opening the market to commercial operators. A Government Emergency Ordinance no. 92.2014 was passed in 2015, with which the fee was increased from RON400,000 (€89k) to RON448,000 (€100k).

A temporary license system…

… was introduced, issued for a three to six-month period. Fiscal tax rates were established as well, with the aim of protecting underage Romanian players. To reduce fiscal fraud, a requirement on operators was imposed to connect slot machines to servers operated by the National Office for Gambling.

The GEO 92.2014…

… was approved and passed on the 6^th of May 2015. Interactive gambling saw its beginning. However, a 20% retrospective or back-tax was imposed on interactive operators for revenues they obtained in Romania from 2009. A blacklisted online casinos list was announced by the National Office for Gambling for operators that did not consent to retrospective tax payments.

Legal Online Gambling in Romania

With the new legislation…

… the first withdrawals from the market began. William Hill announced that due to the regulatory developments, it would withdraw its interactive services. However, ONJN confirmed the back-tax would be sought under GEO 92/2014 regardless of whether operators had subsequently exited the market.

However…

… that doesn’t mean that new operators were left on hold. NetBet, Stanleybet and Winmasters were the first operators granted provisional approval to launch online gambling services in the newly regulated Romanian market. The interim licenses were to be valid until December 2015, after which 10-year licenses were expected to follow.

13 interim licenses…

… were granted, valid until the 31^st of December 2015, and 99 online gambling sites were blacklisted. In 2016, the Government adopted the technical framework 111/2016. New standards for player protection, operational and advertising procedures followed. Those granted with interim licenses were eligible for permanent licenses. 

In March 2016…

… 19 permanent licenses were granted to those that previously held interim licenses. Two months later, GLI and NMi were issued Class 2 auditing and certification licenses. Operators were expected to have the necessary provisions in place and achieve the necessary certification and approval by the end of June 2016. In the meantime, Vermantia was given the first virtual sports license.

More recently…

… Comtrade Gaming, ORYX Gaming, BetConstruct, BetSoft Gaming, and Finnplay were given Class 2 licenses to offer their interactive gaming platforms and products across Romania.

In January 2019…

… the GEO 114/2018 became effective, which imposed an additional tax on operators at 2% turnover, an additional annual contribution of €5k for interactive and €1k for land-based operators, and an annual fixed fee increase from €2.6k to €3.6k.

A few months later…

… ONJN gave Pragmatic Play Class II license to operate its brand new Live Casino studio. The developer was granted the license to operate its studio based in Bucharest.

Latest news…

… are that a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Dumitru Mihalescul called for tighter gambling regulations, in particular in terms of preventing underage gambling, asking ONJN if there were specific measures taken to prevent children from gambling and suggesting whether it would be appropriate to confine gambling only to the main tourist regions of Romania, and away from public spaces and schools.

Romania Online Casinos

As already mentioned, many well-known international operators and software providers have been licensed to offer online gambling services and games to Romanian players.

As such…

… these gambling companies are being continuously overseen by the National Office for Gambling. That means that they are all compliant with the Romanian laws and rules for online gambling and are a safe gambling destination for any international and Romanian player.

Romanian online casinos…

… offer strong player protection, implement high-security measures and provide all sorts of games by renowned developers. When playing at an online casino accepting players from Romania, you'll be getting all-inclusive gaming, offering entertainment at a high level. 

If unsure…

… whether a casino that claims to be regulated by the National Office for Gambling in Romania is active and approved to offer gambling services in the country, you can always check on the regulator’s website and see its status.

One thing is for sure…

… any of the casinos available in the country you’d like to join will provide you with seamless gambling.

Games at Romania Online Casinos

Having in mind that premier, award-winning software developers like BetSoft, Pragmatic Play, BetConstruct and ORYX Gaming provide their games to online casinos in Romania, you can rest assured that you’ll get access to world-class games.

Load any of the online casinos that accept players from Romania, and you’ll see that an array of games categories are at your disposal. Among them, you will see:

• Virtual sports;
• Sportsbetting;
• Bingo;
• Table games;
• Video slots;
• Video poker;
• Lottery;
• Live Casino games.

These are all games designed with the most stunning graphics, excellent sound effects, animations and features, as well as functionalities that would appeal to the most demanding online casino player.

Mobile Betting

All of the games mentioned previously are available on both mobile and desktop devices. As long as you have a stable internet connection, you can enjoy your favourite games on the go. Software developers have made sure to relaunch older titles in HTLM5, mobile-format so that you can enjoy them wherever you are.

Instant-play games are an option in mobile-optimized online gambling sites. However, operators have made sure to provide you with dedicated Android or iOS apps. Therefore, regardless of whether you’re using a Samsung tablet or smartphone or an iPhone or iPad, you will get equally smooth gameplay.

Romania Online Casino Banking & Payment Methods

Most of the online casino sites that accept Romanian players are international operators. As such, they have an international player base. To provide these global players with the ultimate gaming, these operators have to give them a full range of banking options, so that they can successfully fund their casino accounts and cash out their winnings, problem-free.

Therefore, these online casinos make sure to provide players with options such as:

• VISA;
• MasterCard;
• Skrill;
• ecoPayz;
• Trustly;
• Neteller;
• PaySafeCard;
• Bank transfer;
• Klarna;
• Euteller;
• Moneta;
• QIWI;
• WebMoney;

Even though players can freely play using RON (Romanian leu), euro is also available, as are many other currencies. Playing with other currencies comes with exchange fees, though.

FAQs

1. Are players taxed on their winnings in online casinos in Romania?

- Yes. A 1% tax for earnings below €15k, 16% for earnings greater than €15k and 25% for earnings greater than €100k per annum.

2. What the legal gambling age is in Romanian online casinos?

- The legal gambling age in Romania is 18 years, so both online and land-based casino players younger than 18 cannot access the casinos.

3. Are progressive jackpot slots titles available?

- Considering most of the online casinos that accept Romanian players are global operators, they offer games by many developers. Those that offer games by, say, Microgaming or NetEnt, most certainly offer progressive jackpot titles such as the epic Mega Moolah Isis and Mega Fortune.

4. Are Megaways™ slots available in online casinos that accept players from Romania?

- Those online casinos that offer games by BTG, the official Megaways trademark holder, and all of its partner developers who have acquired the license to use the mega-popular mechanics in their slots, such as Red Tiger Gaming, iSoftBet and Blueprint Gaming, offer a rich Megaways™ slots portfolio.

5. Are Romanian players eligible to claim bonuses in online casinos?

- Yes. Any online casino that accepts Romanian players will at least offer a Welcome Offer or a No Deposit offer if not more bonuses to all of its players. Therefore, players from Romania that wish to claim a particular offer would be perfectly eligible to claim that offer.

6. Is Pragmatic Play’s full games portfolio offered?

- Any online casino that is powered by Pragmatic Play offers its full games portfolio. Considering the developer has a license to offer games in Romania itself, and has its Live Casino studio based in Bucharest, online casino players in Romania can also access and enjoy Live Dealer games.

7. Can players from other countries access Romanian online casinos?

- The online casinos that accept Romanian players accept players from other countries, as well. The full list of allowed and restricted countries can be found in the Terms & Conditions page in any online casino.

8. Is it safe to play at these casinos?

- Absolutely. All online casinos nowadays implement the latest security measures to protect players and their confidential data and transactions. Plus, to get a gambling license from ONJN, an operator must show that it is up to the safety and fairness standards as set by NMI and GLI, the auditing companies. In other words, playing at these casinos is perfectly safe.

9. Which payment methods are available to Romanian players?

- Online casinos offer players a wide range of payment methods to choose for their deposits and withdrawals. Therefore, eWallets, prepaid cards, credit and debit cards, pay-by-phone options and other methods for online payments are at players’ disposal.

10. Is joining an online casino in Romania free?

- Yes. To sign up and create an account in an online casino you are not required to pay. However, to play games for real money, you would need to make a deposit.