Romania

The gambling industry in Romania has been taking shape over the last twenty-five years. During this time, the local government has issued several significant bills concerning the regulation of the sector.

Online casinos and online sports betting are allowed in the country, in which the country's residents are showing significant interest. One of the factors contributing to the current development of the Romanian market was the 2020 European Football Championship. During the event, participation in online gambling increased by 90%.

Nevertheless, the jurisdiction has gradually begun to see the spread of addiction among teenagers, young adults and adults.

This year, as part of the fight against addiction, the authorities proposed limiting users' spending to 10% of their monthly income generated on the gambling platform.

In addition, late last year, the National Liberal Party (PNL) proposed a total ban on gambling advertising and said that voting against such initiatives could be considered hostile to Romanians.

Such potential laws and innovations for the legal industry create favorable conditions for illegal companies that can attract a significant number of Romanians to their side.

As a result, the existing government policies along with the high operating costs of licensees may completely weaken the legal sector.

Population: more than 19 million people. 55% of residents are city dwellers.

National composition: Romanians - 89.3%, Hungarians - 6%, Roma - 3.1%, Ukrainians - 0.3%, Germans - 0.1%, other ethnic groups - 1.2%.

The average age is 43 years. Average life expectancy - 76 years.

Age distribution:

• 4.8% - 0 to 4 years old
• 8.6% - 5 to 12 years old
• 5.7% - 13 to 17 years old.
• 7.6% - 18 to 24 years old.
• 10.8% - 25 to 34 years old
• 13.7% - 35 to 44 years old
• 15.6% - 45 to 54 years old
• 13,1% - 55 to 64 years old.
• 20.1% - 65 years of age and older

The male population is 51.6% and the female population is 48.4%.

The literacy level (reading and writing ability) is 98.8%.

Language: The official language is Romanian, spoken by 91% of the country's population.

Most residents speak English at an advanced level.

Approximately 80% Romanians speak one foreign language, 25% speak two foreign languages and 4% speak three or more foreign languages.

Religion: 86.7% are Orthodox, 6.5% are Protestants, 5.6% are Catholics, and 1.2% are Muslims, Jews, and atheists.

Major cities: Bucharest (capital), Constanta, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara.

Currency: Romanian leu (RON). 100 RON = 22 USD.

Financial capacity

According to Eurostat, one third of Romanians live in poverty or on the brink of poverty.

It is noteworthy that due to low wages and high costs, even those who work on a permanent basis face economic hardship in Romania. In addition, it has the widest gap between rich and poor citizens among EU countries.

The highest poverty rates were recorded in the North-East and South-West regions, while the lowest were in Bucharest-Ilfova.

In February this year, the unemployment rate for males was 5.7% and for females it was 5.3%.

According to the Romanian Institute of Statistics, the youth unemployment rate reached 26.3% between October and December 2024.

Average salary before taxes - from $1800. Minimum wage before taxes - from $850.

Most employers pay wages once at the end of the month or at the beginning of the next month.

mentality

The culture and customs of the Romanians were influenced by Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Serbs and Roma. Their way of life and traditions are similar to other Romanian ethnogroups.

The name «romani» comes from the Latin word «romanus», which means «Roman». Medieval historians mention that Romanians considered themselves descendants of Romans, so they called themselves romani (Romans).

In communication, residents are friendly and responsive. They gladly engage in conversation with strangers. They also react aggressively to direct criticism.

Romanians prefer to avoid conflicts, trying not to put others in an uncomfortable position. In communication, they tend to share personal information and expect the same from the interlocutor.

One of the characteristics of the population is the tendency to frequently express dissatisfaction on various issues such as quality of life, social conditions and services provided by the state.

According to the Ipsos Global Trends report, young Romanians between 16 and 24 years old are more open to the world than other age groups, as 86% of them believe that people around the globe have more in common than differences. In addition, they believe that globalization is good for their country.

Residents are quite superstitious. For example, Romanians try to avoid making payments on Monday to avoid losing money during the week.

Athletes here are considered national heroes, especially if they represent the state in the international arena. For example, if a Romanian plays in a German soccer team, the whole country believes that it was he who contributed to the existing success of the club.

Distribution of types of entertainment by popularity among the population:

1. Sporting events
2. Concerts and festivals
3. Gambling
4. Travel

Status of gambling

In the country authorized online casinos and online betting.

Chronology of the formation of the legal gambling industry

• iGaming in Romania started to develop in the early 2000s.
• In 2010, the country introduced a comprehensive regulatory framework, defining the legal status of the industry
• Three years later, the industry's regulatory body, the National Office for Gambling (ONJN), subordinate to the Romanian Ministry of Finance, came into being
• In 2015, a new online gambling law was introduced that improved the license application process, strengthening player protection and operational principles

Requirements for operators to obtain a 10-year license

1. Companies must be residents of Romania, EU or EEA with an account in a Romanian bank. Money transactions may only be conducted through payment systems approved by the regulator
2. A local authorized legal representative is required to be present at the gambling organization
3. The annual license fee for online casino and sports betting operators is $500k
4. The tax on GGR is 23% and should be at least $136k per year
5. Operators are required to pay an annual responsible gaming fee of $5.7k
6. On winnings up to $2279 there is a tax equal to 3%, on winnings up to $15,2 thousand there is a tax of 20% and amounts over $15,2 thousand there is a tax of 40%
7. There is an administrative tax of $170 per approval request to analyze documentation related to the integration or re-certification of new online games
8. The minimum authorized capital requirements depend on the type of games the company offers

Rules concerning players

1. Users over 18 years of age are allowed to gamble
2. Each player has the right to set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits, as well as have the option to repay in the same way the account was originally funded
3. Users have the right to delete their account for a day, for a certain period of time or permanently. When deleting an account permanently, the player will not be able to create a new one for the next six months

Restrictions on gambling and betting advertising by legal operators

1. Gambling advertising on television is allowed between 11pm and 6am and during live sports broadcasts
2. Outdoor gambling advertising with an area of less than 35 square meters is allowed
3. Sending gambling advertisements without prior consent of users and directed to an unlimited number of recipients is prohibited
4. Bonuses can be provided only on the official website of the operator or its partners, as well as in emails to players with active accounts on the online platform, provided that the client has agreed to receive them

Note that. advertising of gambling on the Internet is allowed.

In addition, companies must pay a levy for the promotion of online casinos and/or sports betting in the amount of 5% of the amount of advertising contracts. This tax does not apply to agreements concluded by operators with sports organizations or federations and providing for advertising in stadiums or sports halls.

Recent developments in the gambling industry

In February 2025, the country's Court of Auditors accused the National Gambling Authority of failing to fulfill its duties to monitor and control the activities of operators since its establishment in 2013.

It was revealed that the state body did not have access to the servers of licensees, which allowed companies to understate earnings in reports and reduce the tax burden. According to the Accounts Chamber, in the period from 2019 to 2023, the amount of undeclared license fees amounted to almost $1 billion.

Also in March this year, Romanian authorities introduced a bill that would prohibit players from spending more than 10% of gambling revenues generated in previous months.

Banks and financial institutions where users have individual accounts will be responsible for setting spending limits and could be fined up to 1% of turnover if they breach the potentially new rules.

In turn, gambling operators are required to report players' spending in real time so that they cannot beat the system by switching between online platforms.

iGaming market size

The total market size is projected to reach $1.06 billion by 2029.

According to the regulator, there are 1,489 unlicensed sites on the blacklist.

It is known that the average age of problem players among youngsters is around 17 years old.

85.2% youth sought to return to gambling to recover lost money, while 20.4% contemplated suicide due to gambling-related problems.

Top 10 popular iGaming brands:

• Superbet
• Betano
• Fortune
• Winbet
• TotoGaming
• Unibet
• Netbet
• Maxbet
• Gets Bet
• 888 Casino

Internet accessibility: In January 2025, the country had 17.8 million internet users and an internet penetration rate of 94%.

Average speed of wireless Internet connection via Wi-Fi - 237.61 Mbps. Average speed of mobile Internet connection - 76.58 Mbps.

Volume of device utilization:

• mobile - 80%
• desktop - 16%
• tablet - 4%

Payment systemsVisa, MasterCard, PayPal, PayPal, PayU, EuPlatesc, Stripe, Revolut.

Popular Web Applications: YouTube, eMAG, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram.

• YouTube - 13 million
• eMAG (marketplace) - 11 mln
• Facebook - 9.9 million
• TikTok - 8.51 million
• Instagram - 5.45 million

Player portrait

The bulk of the users participating in gambling on a weekly basis are young Romanians between the ages of 18 and 24.

Men are more prone to pathological gambling compared to women. Sports betting and slots are the most popular among such players.

The main motive for participation in gambling is the desire to experience excitement, to get vivid emotions, as well as to «get out» of the daily routine. The financial aspect takes a secondary place.

Preferences

The most popular sport is soccer. In addition, residents are interested in cycling, handball, tennis, rugby and martial arts. A considerable share of bets falls on motor sports.

In online casinos, residents prefer slots and roulette. Also, most players opt for the network level progressive jackpot.

Card games worth mentioning include poker, rummy, blackjack, set and canasta. Traditional card games include secret, classic solitaire, and barbut, a dice game.

Percentage share of gambling popularity:

• sports betting: 50%
• online casino: 30%
• card games: 20%

The country's urban population shows a high interest in cryptocurrencies. For example, according to the Ipsos 2022 survey, four out of ten Romanians owned cryptocurrencies and 84% planned to acquire it in the future. It was revealed that one in two Romanians had heard of NFTs and 21% said they owned them.

Recommendations for creatives

Residents are attracted by reasoned and realistic advertising. At the same time, it is recommended to broadcast the idea that gambling is a completely different reality, in which everyone can get a charge of positive emotions.

To succeed in the Romanian market, a brand should understand and maintain the desired social status of the customer. By doing so, the product demonstrates the rightness of the consumer's choice and makes them feel like the person they aspire to be, at least within the online space.

Many Romanians prefer to spend time outdoors, cycling or hiking in the mountains. This information should be used to create contests in which, taking into account the interests of the population, tours to the mountains or other tourist destinations, as well as sports paraphernalia and gadgets, can be raffled off.

Most of the youth in the country are into video games and follow streamers like Selly, Ninja, mL7 and Roxana.

Some notable personalities of the jurisdiction are: INNA, Dorian Popa, Alina Eremia, Loredana Chivu, Theo Rose, Anda Adam, 444, Culita Sterp, Drei.

Players more often choose classic slots, especially fruit slots and those related to animal themes.

Also predominantly use fixed prizes, free and re-spins, bonuses for mobile app users.

Holidays such as the Romanian National Day, Romanian Independence Day and Mărcisor - the welcoming of spring should be taken into account when creating special promotions and raffles to attract the attention of locals.

The ski resorts in Romania have a distinct seasonality. The most famous of them include Sinaia, Predeal and Brasov. These towns attract crowds of tourists and Romanians in winter.

The symbols of the country are the golden eagle, the blue shield and the Dacian dragon.