Basic Law: Gambling Law GEO 77/2009, amendments 2015 and 2020 - Romania

The Romanian gambling market relies on GEO 77/2009, a basic act that set the regulatory architecture for terrestrial and remote (online) games. On its basis, the requirements for licensing, supervision, payment of fees and protection of players are built. Key updates came in 2015 and 2020: they "brought to mind" the online gambling mode, expanded the roles of operators and suppliers, strengthened access control and responsible play.

1) What GEO 77/2009 recorded

Uniform rules for all segments. The document outlined a list of permitted types of games (casinos, slots, bets, bingo, poker, etc.), general admission criteria and the basics of supervision.

Licensing and permissions. Basic License + Annual Operating Permit model for sites/products tied to technical and organizational requirements.

Oversight and sanctions. Powers of the regulator for checks, suspension/cancellation, fines and other coercive measures.

Responsible play. Initial principles of consumer protection, informing and preventing minors.

2) Reform 2015: Legalization of distance games and license classes

• Full-fledged mode for distance games. Official admission of online casinos, bets, poker, etc., subject to technical standards.
• License classes.

Class I - operators offering games to end users (online/offline).

Class II - B2B providers (payment and IT services, hosting, RNG/certification performers, platform and content providers).

Class III is a separate regime for the state lottery.

Technical and audit requirements. Log storage, integration with regulator reporting, RNG/platform certification, separate control of jackpots and payments.

Access control. Frame for registers of locks (unlicensed sites), measures for payment intermediaries, prohibition of cross-border without a local license.

KYC/AML online. Identification, limits, self-exclusion and self-control tools, transparent T&C bonuses.

Regulator. Strengthening the role of the national authority (ONJN) as a licensing, monitoring and enforcement centre.

3) Updates 2020: compliance, responsibility and "digital hygiene"

• Strengthening Responsible Gaming. The requirements for self-exclusion/self-restriction, informing, displaying warnings and availability of tools in the interface have been expanded.
• Marketing under control. Advertising messages are more standardized: age barriers, prohibition of misleading wording, transparency of bonuses.
• Technical circuit and audit. The terms and formats of reporting are regulated, the requirements for external certification and monitoring of incidents are deepened.
• Online enforcement. The procedures for including domains/IP in the list of locks and interaction with payment providers have been updated.
• Alignment with EU financial and anti-money laundering regulations. Closer alignment with AML rules and identification of sources of funds.

4) How it works in practice (online segment)

The operator (Class I) submits a package: corporate structure, RG and AML policies, platform specifications, contracts with B2B suppliers, reporting and audit plans.

Providers (Class II) are licensed separately: platform/content provider, payment processor, hosting, certifiers - all on the ONJN whitelist.

Integration and launch. Technical environments (prod/stage) are certified; on the operator's side - a showcase with Hungarian localization, KYC procedures, limit and self-exclusion tools.

Continuous reporting. Transfer of game logs/financial aggregates according to the regulator formats, data storage, annual checks.

Enforcement. Unlicensed sites end up in the blocking registry; payment intermediaries are obliged to suppress transactions addressed to them.

5) What it means for the market

Transparent and high "bar" entry. The separation of operator and B2B roles makes the ecosystem manageable and secure.

The player is protected. Receives clear KYC procedures, transaction history, RG tools, local support and legal dispute resolution channels.

Business is predictable. There are clear license classes, a compliance roadmap, and expected audit/reporting practices.

6) A brief scale of reform

2009: GEO 77/2009 - unified regulatory framework.

2015: "digital twist" - legalization of distance games, license classes I/II/III, technical standards, block lists.

2020: strengthening Responsible Gaming, "cleanliness" of marketing, audit and technical supervision, updating measures against unlicensed sites.

Bottom line: GEO 77/2009 - the skeleton of Romanian gambling law; the 2015 amendments turned it into a modern digital system with a clear division of roles and full legalization of online; 2020 updates strengthened accountability, compliance and enforcement. As a result, Romania has a mature, predictable and player-oriented model of regulation.