Romania cracks down on gambling tax evasion after RON 4.3bn shortfall

Underreported taxes and weak controls exposed Romania's gambling flaws. Now, sweeping reforms—and a new ONJN chief—aim to reclaim lost millions.

, and Administrator

2026 May 23 . 11:05 PM

1 min read

The image shows the flag of Romania, which is composed of four horizontal stripes of red, yellow,... — The image shows the flag of Romania, which is composed of four horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and blue. The colors are arranged in a square formation, with the red stripe at the top, the yellow stripe in the middle, and the blue stripe on the bottom.

Romania cracks down on gambling tax evasion after RON 4.3bn shortfall

Romania’s gambling sector faces tighter scrutiny after an audit revealed a tax gap of up to RON 4.3bn. The Court of Accounts uncovered serious inconsistencies in how operators report earnings, prompting calls for stricter oversight. Authorities are now pushing for reforms to close loopholes and improve compliance. The National Office for Gambling (ONJN) found major discrepancies in gross gaming revenue (GGR) reporting by some licensed operators. In one case, a remote gambling firm underreported taxes by RON 5m, while a slot machine operator showed an RON 18m shortfall. These findings followed a Court of Accounts audit that criticised weak institutional controls.

The ONJN struggled with limited access to mirror servers run by remote operators, making real-time fraud detection difficult. To address this, the office has replaced the heads of its Control and Monitoring Directorates. New measures include stricter transaction-level checks and better technical supervision.

Vlad-Cristian Soare took over as ONJN President in April 2025, shortly after the audit’s release. His leadership coincides with broader efforts to strengthen data access and improve tax compliance. Meanwhile, lawmakers are debating raising the legal gambling age from 18 to 21, while some mayors seek limits on new betting shops. The ONJN’s reforms aim to reduce tax evasion by enforcing stricter reporting rules and real-time monitoring. Operators now face closer inspection, with a focus on accurate revenue declarations. If successful, these changes could recover millions in lost tax revenue and tighten control over the sector.