Romania’s National Office for Gambling (Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc – ONJN), the competent authority for the gambling sector, has opened a public consultation on two draft laws concerning remote gambling. The consultation phase runs from 3 to 17 July 2026, during which operators and stakeholders may submit comments on the proposed texts. These are, therefore, texts still under public review and not final provisions. However, the initiative signals the Romanian authority’s intention to intervene in certain central aspects of the online gambling experience, with potential effects on both licensed operators and players.
The drafts concern two particularly sensitive areas for this industry. The first is transparency in game rules, terms and conditions, and promotions. The second is the use of test accounts, virtual credit, and demonstration sessions on gambling platforms.
Focus on terms, conditions, and promotional rules
One of the two drafts concerns the definition of minimum standards for the drafting, content, transparency, and application of game rules, terms and conditions, and promotional rules used by remote gambling operators.
The issue is particularly relevant because, in online gambling, many disputes between users and operators may arise from the interpretation of contractual conditions, bonus rules, limits on the use of promotions, wagering requirements, or exclusions set out in the rules.
The aim appears to be to make the information framework available to players clearer and to establish more uniform criteria for operators. In this sense, the consultation can be read as an attempt to strengthen market transparency and to reduce grey areas in commercial and contractual communication.
Demos, virtual credit, and test accounts
The second draft instead focuses on a more technical area, concerning the regulation of the use of test accounts, virtual credit, and demonstration sessions on remote gambling platforms.
Demo versions and test environments are widely used tools in the sector. They may be used by operators for technical checks, product presentations, or user-facing demonstrations. For this reason, their regulation is particularly significant. The way in which a demonstration session is configured and presented can, in fact, affect the user’s perception of the game.
One of the central issues is the consistency between the demonstration experience and gambling with players’ real money. If a demo does not accurately reflect the product’s actual operation, it may create unrealistic expectations or distort perceptions of the probabilities and dynamics of play.
The consultation opened by the ONJN therefore appears to form part of a move towards greater control over tools that may seem ancillary, but can have a tangible impact on the consumer experience and on operator compliance.
Possible effects on the market
Should the draft regulations be adopted, operators active in the Romanian market may be required to comply with new organisational, technical and documentation requirements. Reviewing terms and conditions, adapting promotional offers and implementing a more structured approach to demonstration sessions could become key elements of compliance processes.
From the players’ perspective, the intervention could instead result in greater clarity about the conditions for accessing gambling, the rules governing bonuses, and the distinction between demonstration environments and real-money gambling.
The consultation phase will therefore be important for understanding operators’ positions and the comments to be submitted to the authority. Only at the end of the process will it be possible to assess the concrete impact of the new measures. Romania’s regulatory signal is clearly intended to strengthen oversight of transparency, bonuses and promotions, and the digital tools used in online gambling.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 6 July 2026.
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