The Romanian gambling market has been estimated to annually generate over €1 billion, local media reported. Football and tennis, as well as instant lottery games and dog races are among the most preferred gambling options among local customers, according to figures provided by SageCharge, an online payment solution provider known to be working with Romanian operators.
Last week, Odeta Nestor, President of the country’s National Gambling Office, told media that gambling operators providing their services within Romania’s borders paid the amount of €269 million in taxes in 2015, up 71% as compared to the €157 million posted for 2014.
According to industry reports, gambling companies that offered land-based services paid the approximate amount of €70 million for authorization and the relevant licenses.
Last year, there were as many as 488 gambling operators to provide options in Romania. There were more such companies in 2014, the country’s National Gambling Office reported. In addition, there were a total of 19 authorized online gambling companies that offered their services to Romanian gambling customers in 2015.
In May 2015, Romanian lawmakers introduced overhauled gambling regulations, opening the local market for international operators. The new legislation was designed in a manner to make the country more attractive to foreign investors and companies that would thus boost its budget. Upon signing the all-new gambling law, officials expressed hopes that it would result in at least €100 million in extra tax revenue to be collected every year.
The country introduced a three-tier taxation system as well as a number of regulations that drew a legislative framework to be followed by gambling operators, both land-based and online ones. The first three online gambling companies received licenses from the National Gambling Office under the new law in July 2015. The said licenses would be valid for the next 10 years.
In October 2015, the country’s gambling regulator posted a blacklist of online gambling operators, with bwin.party and Bet365 being among those. Some of the operators complained about being blacklisted, even though they had paid the necessary back taxes included in the new legislation. The National Gambling Office back then explained its decision with the fact that operators continued operating in the country, despite the fact that they were awaiting temporary licenses from the regulator.
