The Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) announced that it has added 30 unlicensed online gambling websites to its official blacklist, requiring national internet service providers to block access to these domains within 15 days.
This action targets several operators who have not obtained authorization in Romania and have not paid the necessary fees, including international brands and smaller casinos and betting platforms. The named websites include wazbee.casino, jacktop.com, several "nv" series casinos (from nv5.casino to nv93.casino), roostake.com, and multiple ybets platforms. According to regulations, this traffic will be redirected to an IP address designated by ONJN, and the blacklist will be officially notified to authorized communication service providers within 48 hours.
Affected operators can file an administrative appeal with the Bucharest Court of Appeal within 30 days, but the blocking measures will continue to be enforced during this period.
This move comes at a time when Romania is intensifying the regulation of the gambling industry. Earlier this year, the Court of Audit (CCR) revealed that ONJN had serious regulatory and compliance gaps between 2019 and 2023, resulting in the loss of approximately 3.6 billion Romanian Lei (nearly 1 billion USD) in licensing and authorization fees. This report sparked political debate and prompted proposals for stricter regulations, including possible limits on player spending.
ONJN states that the blacklist mechanism is an important tool to curb illegal gambling, maintain market order, and protect players.
