|
|
 |
 |
| Casino and Online Gambling in
Romania |
|
|
It has been the case for along time that the United Kingdom possesses the most advanced and free
gambling regulations in the world, with the most developed gambling businesses because of these facts. This has come under threat from liberalisation of
gambling laws around the world, especially in the United States and Romania.
Now in 2022, every way that you can place a bet in the UK you can do
exactly the same in Romania, even the advertising for gambling products is as widespread with the same techniques as in the UK. With the looming shadow of more
restrictive regulation in the UK from a new
government gambling
white paper, Romania may well be about to take the lead in freedoms to gamble. |
| |
 |
| |
| Image by
Maura Nicolaita from
Pixabay |
| |
Casinos
From 1945 to 1989 Romania was part of the Soviet
Union and communist rules dictated that gambling was illegal and amoral. After the fall of the Berlin wall democracy was soon on its way along with freedoms to
develop business and the first casino opened in 1991. Casinos opened around the country but mostly in the capital Bucharest. Tough trading conditions in 2020
due to the pandemic has meant several have closed but five are still trading in the capital.
Online Casinos
Gambling has never been illegal in Romania and in the beginning of the internet if you wanted to bet at a
casino online hen there was nothing to stop you. Since being admitted to the European Union in 2008 the country
has adopted the broad set of rules that EU countries mostly have in place. This means any licensed casino from any part of the EU is legal in
Romania.
There are now online casinos regulated by the Romanian National Gambling Office so sites need an NGO license now to offer betting opportunities
to citizens within Romania. They have a blacklist of operators who breach NGO rules and actively pursue them but this also breeches some of the freedom to
trade laws of the EU.
Bookmakers
IInternational companies and small independent bookmakers
have both a physical presence in the country as well as online and you are able to bet on any legal sport from anywhere in the world. Some of the big
international companies have withdrawn since 2015 when the NGO began insisting they hold one of their licenses.
Lotteries
Apart from EuroMillions there is a state run lottery known as Loto. It is a 6/49 lottery and so the jackpot
odds are 1 in 13,983,816. There is also a 5/40 game which is known as loto 5/40. Top prize is usually between €1million and €1.5 million.
|
| |
 |
| |
Bingo
Land based Bingo halls exist as well as their web
based counterparts. These are very similar to those you can find in the UK.
Poker
There is
one dedicated poker room in the capital city Bucharest as well as all the international websites. International poker tournaments are held in
Bucharest.
Gambling Tax
The one major difference with gambling in Romania to that of the UK,
and what will hold it back unless it is changed, is the gambling tax. Previously there was a 1% winners tax on cash-outs for players up 66,750 RON (Romanian
leu), equivalent to about €13,500, 16% on winnings over that number.
From 1 August 2022 new tax on winnings laws have come into force;
Up to
10,000 RON (about €2,000) there is a 3% tax. From 10,000 RON to 66,750 RON (€2000 - €13,500) tax is 300 RON + 20%. Over 66,750 RON tax is 11,650
plus 40% of profit!!!!
This is the government getting desperate and having no understanding of gambling. It will backfire if they persist with these
punitive taxes as gambling will move to the black market. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Main
Menu
