Romania

Romania's gambling industry has been taking shape over the past twenty-five years, during which time the local government has issued several significant bills concerning the regulation of the sector.

The country allows online casinos and online sports betting, in which the country's residents show substantial interest One of the factors contributing to the Romanian market today was the 2020 European Football Championship, during the event, online gambling participation increased by 90%.

However, gambling addiction gradually began to spread in the jurisdiction among teenagers, young people and adults.

This year, as part of the fight against addiction, the authorities proposed limiting user costs to 10% of their monthly income received on the gambling platform.

In addition, late last year, the National Liberal Party (PNL) proposed a complete ban on gambling advertising and said that voting against such initiatives could be considered hostile towards 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, existing government policies, along with high operating costs for licensees, could completely weaken the legal sector.

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

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

Mean age - 43 years Average life expectancy - 76 years.

Age distribution:

• 4.8% - 0 to 4 years
• 8.6% - 5 to 12 years
• 5.7% - from 13 to 17 years old
• 7.6% - from 18 to 24 years old
• 10.8% - 25 to 34 years old
• 13.7% - from 35 to 44 years old
• 15.6% - from 45 to 54 years old
• 13,1% - from 55 to 64 years old
• 20,1% - 65 years and older

Male population - 51.6%, female - 48.4%.

The literacy rate (reading and writing skills) is 98.8%.

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

Most residents speak English at an advanced level.

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

Religion: 86,7% - Orthodox, 6,5% - Protestants, 5,6% - Catholics, 1,2% - Muslims, Jews, atheists.

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

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

Financial opportunities

According to Eurostat, a third of Romanians live in poverty or on the verge of poverty.

Notably, due to low wages and high costs, even those who work full-time face economic difficulties in Romania, apart from this, there is the most significant gap between rich and poor citizens among EU countries.

The highest poverty rates were recorded in the Northeast and Southwest regions, while the lowest were in Bucharest-Ilfovo.

In February of this year, the unemployment rate among men was 5.7%, among women - 5.3%.

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

Average wage 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.

Mentality

The formation of the culture and customs of Romanians was influenced by Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Serbs and Gypsies. Their way of life and traditions are similar to other Romanesque ethnogroups.

The name of Romanians is Romini, derived from the Latin word Romanus, which translated means Roman Medieval historians mention that Romanians considered themselves descendants of Romans, so called themselves Romanians (Romans).

In communication, residents are friendly and helpful. Enjoy talking to strangers. Also in the country react aggressively to direct criticism.

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

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

According to a report by Ipsos Global Trends, young Romanians aged 16 to 24 are more open to the world compared to 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 superstitious enough - For example, Romanians try to avoid Monday payments to avoid losing money within a week.

Athletes here are considered national heroes, especially if they represent the state on the international stage. So, if a Romanian plays in a German football 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. Sports events
2. Concerts and festivals
3. Gambling
4. Travel

Gambling status

In country allowed online casinos and online betting.

Chronology of the formation of the legal gambling industry

• iGaming in Romania began 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 regulator, the National Gambling Authority (ONJN), subordinate to the Romanian Ministry of Finance, appeared
• In 2015, a new online gambling law was introduced, which improved the licensing application process by strengthening player protection and operating principles

Requirements for operators to obtain a license for a period of 10 years

1. Companies must be residents of Romania, the EU or the EEA with an account in a Romanian bank. Monetary transactions are allowed only through payment systems approved by the regulator
2. A gambling organization requires the presence of a local authorized legal representative
3. The annual license fee for online casino operators and sports betting is $500 thousand
4. The tax on GGR is 23% and must be at least $136 thousand per year
5. Operators are required to pay an annual fee for responsible play in the amount of $5.7 thousand
6. For winnings up to $2279 there is a tax equal to 3%, for winnings up to $15.2 thousand - tax 20%, and amounts over $15.2 thousand - tax 40%
7. For the analysis of documentation related to the integration or re-certification of new online games, an administrative tax of $170 is provided for each approval request
8. The minimum share capital requirements depend on the type of games the company offers

Rules regarding players

1. Users over 18 years of age are allowed to gamble
2. Each player has the right to set restrictions on daily, weekly and monthly deposits, and also be able to repay the debt in the same way as the account was originally replenished
3. Users have the right to delete their account for a day, for a certain time or forever. When you delete an account forever, the player will not be able to create a new one in the next six months

Restrictions for gambling and betting advertising of legal operators

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

Note that online gambling advertising is allowed.

In addition, companies must pay a fee for promoting online casinos and/or sports betting in the amount of 5% of the amount of advertising contracts. This tax does not apply to agreements entered into by operators with sports organizations or federations that provide for advertising in stadiums or gyms.

Recent developments in the gambling industry

In February 2025, the country's Court of Auditors accused the National Gaming Authority of failing to comply with the duties of monitoring and controlling the activities of operators since its establishment in 2013.

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

Also in March of this year, Romanian authorities introduced a bill prohibiting players from spending more than 10% of gambling proceeds received in previous months.

Banks and financial institutions with individual accounts will be responsible for setting spending limits and may receive a fine of up to 1% of turnover if potentially new rules are violated.

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

Volume of the iGaming market

The total market volume 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 young people is about 17 years.

85.2% young people sought to return to the game to recover lost money, while 20.4% thought about suicide due to gambling problems.

Top 10 popular iGaming brands:

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

Internet availability: in January 2025, there were 17.8 million internet users in the country and internet penetration was 94%.

Average Wireless Internet Connection Speed over Wi-Fi - 237.61 Mbit/s Average Mobile Internet Connection Speed - 76.58 Mbit/s.

Volume of use of devices:

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

Payment systems: Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, PayU, EuPlatesc, Stripe, Revolut.

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

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

Portrait of a player

The bulk of users who participate in gambling weekly are young Romanians aged 18 to 24 years.

Men are more likely to be affected by pathological excitement compared to women, sports betting and slots are the most popular among such players.

The main motive for gambling is the desire to experience excitement, get vivid emotions, and also «get out» of everyday routine. The financial aspect occupies a secondary place.

Preferences

The most popular sport is football, in addition, residents show interest in cycling, handball, tennis, rugby and martial arts. A considerable share of betting is on motorsport.

In online casinos, residents prefer slots and roulette. Also, most players choose a progressive online jackpot.

Among the card games, it is worth highlighting poker, rummy, blackjack, set and canasta Traditional card games: secret, classic solitary, and barbute - dice game.

Share of gambling popularity as a percentage:

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

The country's urban population shows a high interest in cryptocurrencies. For example, according to a 2022 Ipsos study, four out of ten Romanians owned cryptocurrencies, and 84% planned to purchase them in the future. One in two Romanians were found to have heard of NFTs, and 21% said they owned them.

Recommendations for creatives

Residents are attracted to reasoned and realistic advertising. However, we recommend broadcasting the idea that gambling is a completely different reality in which everyone can receive a charge of positive emotions.

To succeed in the Romanian market, the brand must understand and maintain the desired social status of the client. Thanks to this, the product demonstrates the correct choice of the consumer and gives him the opportunity to feel like who he strives to be, at least within the online space.

Many Romanians prefer to spend time outdoors cycling or mountain hiking, this information is worth using in creating contests where, given the interests of the population, mountain tours or other tourist destinations can be played, as well as attributes and gadgets for sports.

Most young people in the country are interested in video games and follow streamers such as 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 are more likely to choose classic slots, especially fruit slots and those related to animal themes.

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

Holidays such as Romania's National Day, Romania's Independence Day and Mercisor - Spring meeting should be taken into account when creating special promotions and drawings to attract the attention of local residents.

The pronounced seasonality is relevant for the ski resorts of Romania, the most famous of them include Sinai, Predeal and Brasov, these cities attract crowds of tourists and Romanians in winter.

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