Question: What entity is in charge with the gambling sector in Romania?

1. Romanian Gambling Authority Meaning
2. Romanian Gambling Authority Malta
3. Romanian Gambling Authority Definition

• BUCHAREST (Romania), December 7 (SeeNews) - Romania's competition authority said that it has approved the recent takeover of the local subsidiaries of Moldova-based Glass Container Company and Glass Container Prim by Vetropack Austria Holding.
• Kambi Group companies are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (combined remote operating licence 000-039076-R-319342-003), Kambi Sports Solutions (Alderney) Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number (39076), the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (category 2 eGambling licence 92C2.
• Sep 09, 2016 Following the recent re-regulation of the Romanian iGaming market, another industry supplier with ambitions to expand its presence across regulated jurisdictions has been granted a license for the purpose by the local gaming authority.

Answer:The Romanian National Gambling Office is the newly established Romanian authority accountable for licensing the operators, as well as regulating and monitoring the gambling activity.

Romania’s fast-growing online gambling market doubled in size between 2017 and 2019, and has now overtaken land-based betting in revenue.

The new office will be responsible for technical surveillance, monitoring and supervision of games of chance included in the category of online betting organized through communication systems such as internet, mobile and landline services, bingo games organized through internet or other communication systems as mentioned above, also other games of chance involving online activity.

The National Gambling Office is under Government authority, with individual budget and assets, with state budget financing provided through General Secretariat of the Government and also using the incentives fund for special purposes.

Investors who need to make submissions with this Office can reach out to our lawyers in Romania for assistance.

Here are the most important aspects you should know before starting a gambling business in Romania:

The ordinance introducing the Romanian National Gambling Office stipulates several new aspects which will impact the overall 'games of chance' legal framework. Apart from mentioning the specific operators conducting gambling activities, there are also some other details indicating as well operators with activities related to gambling, even in an infrequent way. Our Romanian lawyers can provide complete information on this ordinance, however, you can read below a few of the key points.

The main attributions of this recent national gambling authority in Romania concern the compliance with the following principles, presented by our lawyers in Romania:

• - unitary enforcement of the specified judicial facts considering the general legal, impartial and active involvement always maintaining a moderate level of participation to games of chance;
• - the protection of minors or of other vulnerable groups establishing a prevention policy on gambling addiction;
• - protection of participants which involves a transparent and responsible manner of organizing these games;
• - ensuring the compliance with general and specific state laws;
• - preventing from unwanted interferences when referring to sport results in order to protect the general sport movement.

This project also specifies certain aspects related to broadcasted television shows involving bingo games. These shows were declared legally impermissible, but the Government decided to reauthorize them as an effective manner of excluding a non-competitive environment and also functioning as a mean of increasing the state budget revenues.

Before opening a company that activates in this field you can request specialized consultancy services from the experts at our law firm in Romania.

National Gambling Authority in Romania - surveillance committee

A Surveillance Committee will be established within the Romanian National Gambling Office, with deliberation and decision making roles. Its main competences are listed below by our Romanian lawyers:

• - will grant the right of organization and operation of gaming activities in accordance with the law;
• - will issue certificates and other approval documents requested under Romanian jurisdiction;
• - will cancel, recall or discontinue documents and decisions related to the right of organizing and operating games of chance;
• - will solve complaints submitted by operators against decisions of the Committee;
• - legally defining any activity conducted or proposed for being conducted by any operator, possibly related to games of chance, only after appropriate examinations.

Romanian Gambling Authority Meaning

The adopted ordinance establishing the new national gambling authority in Romania was intended to improve and adapt the games of chance legal regulations to economic and social realities, also serving as a unique body with specific competences concerning monitoring, surveillance and control of any activity related to games of chance, as well ensuring an effective database and a reliable system able to monitor possible tax evasion.

Investors who open a gambling business need to obtain a special license. Assistance for this step can be provided upon request by our Romanian law firm.

Romanian Gambling Authority Malta

We have a team of experienced lawyers in Romania specialized in legal matters regarding the gambling legislation in Romania. Please don't doubt to contact us for a free consulation, we are always here to help.

by Cristian Darie

Question: Who is in charge with the gambling activity in Romania? I am interested in opening a business in this area.

Answer:The authorization/organization of the activity of gambling in Romania is governed by State monopoly.

The State can grant the right of setting up the activity of games of chance, according to Romanian gambling laws, on the basis of a license, for the organization of each type of games of chance.

The games of chance are classified as follows:

• • lottery games, in the case that they depend on the purely random outcomes of events;
• • betting, if it depends on the outcomes of events that do not involve the organizers;
• • games of chance characteristic for casinos;
• • games of chance characteristic for poker clubs;
• • slot machine-type games;
• • bingo games played in gaming rooms;
• • lottery games organized and transmitted via any communication system;
• • casino-type games;
• • fixed betting;
• •mutual betting;
• • counterpart betting – a correlation of online bets between various players;
• • bingo and keno games;
• • a tombola;
• • any other type of games of chance, including new games or combinations of games defined so far;
• • temporary games of chance ( those defined paragraphs c), e) and f), that take place in tourist resorts or on leisure crafts.

Our team oflawyers in Romania can provide clarifications regarding these types of activities, as needed.

Question: What is the Romanian law that regulates the gambling activity as a business?

Answer:An organizer of games of chance can be any company, legally registered in Romania and authorized to conduct the activity of games of chance, in accordance with the provisions of the Government's Emergency Ordinance no. 77/2009, as well as the Government's Emergency Ordinance no. 92/2014. A gambling organizer can thus be any legal person who is licensed to organize and operate games of chance under the conditions provided by the legislation of the matter. The quality of a gambling organizer can also be acquired by a legally established Romanian legal person, as well as a legal person legally established in a Member State of the EU, or in a state signatory to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as well as in the Swiss Confederation.

A temporary gambling organizer can be constituted by a legal person, established under the same conditions as the previously mentioned ones, who organizes and operates games of chance in tourist resorts for a period of three months. Investors who need more information on the laws in force can reach out to our lawyers in Romania.

Question: What are the required documents in order to obtain the gaming licenses in Romania?

Answer: Our Romanian lawyers list the main documents that are needed in order to obtain the license for gambling activities in our country:

Romanian Gambling Authority Definition

• • A formal letter through which the company requests to the authorized commission to concede the authorization for the activity of games of chance. In this letter there should be added a series of details such as: the type of games of chance, the manufactures series of the electric, electronic machines, equipments, and also the location where the company will conduct this activity and where the equipments will be placed. The required letter must contain also the list of all documents that exist in the dossier. Beside that, it must be written and type scripted in Romanian and it must also be signed by the administrator or the director of the company. This address must contain also the location of the registered office, the telephone number of the company and the stamp;
• • The Constitutive Document of the company, which should contain as object of activity CAEN code 9271: games of chance, and also all subsequent modifications registered with the Registry of Commerce;
• • The company’s contract, according to the case, and also all subsequent modifications registered with the Registry of Commerce;
• • The Registration Certificate;
• • The Fiscal Code;
• • The document which attests that the company has deposited the share capital according to the law;
• • A detailed description of the activity, including a sketch of the location where the activity will take place, and also a sketch of how the machines, the equipment will be placed in the location;
• • The rules of game, which must include the percentage given to the winners from the total influx of money;
• • A personal statement, regarding the experience of organizing this kind of activity, a good understanding of the law of the activity of games of chance, the legality of the money invested in order to develop this activity, proof of the necessary economic power to carry out this activity, any previous sanctions for developing this kind of activity of games of chance;
• • The criminal record of the administrator and the executive directors of the company;
• • The documents which attest the rights of ownership or the rights to use of the location where the activity will take place;
• • A technical-economic study of efficiency, drawn up for the period of authorization for the activity of games of chance;
• • The internal regulations for the development of this activity, in which the following must be specified: the tasks and obligations of the personnel, the bookkeeping system, the means to provide the security for documents and valuable goods.
• • A document which must attest the technical verification of the electronic, electric machines, equipments, released by specialized companies in this field, which are acknowledged by the commission;
• • A document which must attest the functionality of the location where the activity of games of chance will be carried out, released by the Ministry of Finances, local authorities and a written approval from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The necessary documents for obtaining the authorization of functionality are the following:
• o a written request which has to contain: the name of the company, the registered office, the registration number provided by the Registry of Commerce, the fiscal code, the address of the location for which the authorization is needed;
  o the documents which attest the propriety or the utilizations rights of the location where the activity will develop.
  o the sanitary authorization;
  o the P.S.I (PROTECTION AND SECURITY AGAINS FIRE) authorization ;
  o the registration certificate
  o the fiscal code.
• • The documents which attest the legal provenience of the electronic equipmentmachines;
• • The document which proves the deposit of the warranty fund;
• • The fiscal certificate;
• • A receipt from the Chamber of Labor that the company has no debts to the State.

Our Romanian law firm can help you obtain a gaming license or any other type of business license you need.

Question: Are there any conditions that have to be met in order to obtain the license?

Answer: Yes, the conditions that must be fulfilled in order to obtain a gambling organizer’s license from the ONJN Monitoring Committee, in the case of traditions games of chance, are as follow:

• the gambling operators must prove that:

• - the main purpose of their activity is “organizing games of chance”;
• - the police granted their approval;
• - the amount of subscribed and paid-up share capital has been met;

• the legal person's legal representatives will submit a selfdeclaration which will state that:

• - the gambling operator has no final convictions that have not been served;
• - the gambling operator is not incompatible;
• - the identity of the real beneficiaries have no final convictions that have not been served and are not incompatible.
• - there have been taken no administrative measures the legal person or their representatives in this field and there are no such administrative measures applied for a period of one year prior to the date of submission of the license application;
• - for the last three years, the legal person was not a shareholder and/or an administrator for a company that has filed for bankruptcy;

Our Romanian lawyers also highlight the fact that another condition is related to the fact that there must be no court decision that resulted in a final conviction against any of the legal person's legal representatives that has not been served, in Romania or in a foreign State;

Question: How long are the license and the authorization valid for?

Answer: If the conditions are met, gambling organizers will be granted a gambling organizer’s license valid for 10 years from the date on which it is granted, except for the temporary games of chance for which the validity will be of three months.

The gambling operator's authorization is valid for one year starting from the date of its granting, except in the case of temporary games of chance, in which case the authorization is valid of a period of three months. Investors who need assistance during the licensing process can reach out to our attorneys in Romania.

Question: What are the annual gambling fees in Romania?

Answer: The annual gambiling fees for such an activity in Romnia are listed below by the experts at our law firm in Romania. Please keep in mind that these can be subject to change.

Gambling organizer’s license fees (annual):

• • For lottery games: EUR 115 000
• • For mutual betting: EUR 45 000
• • For fixed-rate betting: EUR 25 000
• • For counterpart betting: EUR 25 000
• • For games of chance characteristic for casinos: EUR 95 000
• • For games of chance characteristic for poker clubs: EUR 15 000
• • For slot machine-type games: EUR 20 000
• • For bingo games taking place in gambling halls: EUR 10 000
• • For bingo games of chance organized via television network systems: EUR 70 000
• • For poker festivals EUR 5 000
• • for temporary casino-type games (valid three months) EUR 23 750
• • for temporary slot machine-type games (valid three months) EUR 5 000
• • for temporary bingo-type games in halls (valid three months) EUR 2 500.

Gambling operator's authorisation fees (annual):

• - For traditional lottery-type games: EUR 180 000
• - For mutual betting – traditional: 16 % of the organizer’s income from games of chance, but not less than: EUR 90 000
• - For fixed-rate betting – traditional: 16 % of the organizer’s income from games of chance, but not less than: EUR 90 000
• - For counterpart betting – traditional: 16 % of the organizer’s income from games of chance, but not less than: EUR 90 000
• - For games of chance characteristic of casinos:
• - for each table, in the city of Bucharest: EUR 60 000
• - for each table, in locations other than the city of Bucharest: EUR 30 000
• - For poker clubs:
• - for each premises, in the city of Bucharest: EUR 70 000
• - for each premises, in locations other than the city of Bucharest: EUR 30 000
• - For each slot machine-type piece of gaming equipment:
• - Slot machine Class A: EUR 2 600
• - Electronic devices offering limited-risk winnings, Class B: EUR 1 500
• - For bingo games taking place in gambling halls: EUR 7 000 for each hall.
• - For bingo games of chance organized via television network systems: 16 % of the organizer’s income, but not less than: EUR 115 000
• - For poker festivals EUR 20 000
• - For temporary casino-type games (valid three months) EUR 10 000
• - For temporary Class A slot machinetype games (valid three months) EUR 650
• - For temporary bingo-type games in halls (valid three months) EUR 1 750 for each location.

Also, the minimum value of subscribed and paid-up share capital on the date of application for a gambling organizer’s license must be as follow:

• - For organizers operating lottery games: minimum RON 2 000 000 RON
• - For organizers operating mutual betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating fixed-rate betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating counterpart betting: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating games of chance characteristic of casinos: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating slot machinetype games: minimum RON 30 000
• - For organizers operating bingo games taking place in gambling halls: minimum RON 100 000
• - For organizers operating the online games of chance presented in h)-m): minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating bingo games of chance organized via television network systems: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers operating temporary games: minimum RON 1 000 000
• - For organizers of poker festivals: minimum RON 1 000 000

Our lawyers in Romania are here to help you register a company in this field of activity and to assist you in obtaining the requiered licenses for gambling businesses. We want to make the process hassle free for you, so call us anytime for a free consultation. They can also help you open a micro company or any type of company you choose for your new business.