Two draft laws have been submitted to Romania’s Parliament amid the Liberal Pro-Europe Coalition’s push to reform the country’s gambling regulation framework.

Last week, former Culture Minister Raluca Turcan from the Liberal Party (PNL) introduced a bill requiring the minimum gambling age to be raised to 21. Turcan urged her colleagues to support the initiative, calling it “the simplest measure to restrict access to gambling at the most vulnerable age.”

Turcan’s proposal marks PNL’s first step in addressing gambling reform – a topic that has gained widespread national attention. In her view, the age range between 18 and 21 is “the period of greatest emotional and financial vulnerability for young people entering adulthood.” This stage is characterized by impulsivity, first earnings, and limited understanding of long-term risks.

The proposal aims to create a “window for emotional and financial maturity” by restricting gambling access until age 21. Turcan cited successful examples from Portugal, Greece, and Moldova, where raising the age limit helped reduce youth debt and early signs of gambling addiction.

The bill takes into account recommendations from a Save the Children report, which suggested raising the legal gambling age and implementing a full ban on gambling advertising across all formats.

A second, more comprehensive bill was submitted by Diana Stoica from the Save Romania Union (USR). She is a strong critic of Romania’s gambling market and its regulatory failures. Her bill responds to “a national drama hidden in plain sight,” citing studies that show one in four Romanian teenagers has gambled before turning 18, and many before age 14.

Her proposal includes a strict ban on online gambling advertising from 06:00 to 24:00, taking into account the digital habits of minors and young adults. It also prohibits the use of influencers, athletes, and media personalities, as they “normalize betting” and act as the main channel for youth engagement. Additional measures include mandatory large addiction-risk warnings and strict limitations on indirect marketing through cultural and sports sponsorships when they effectively serve as covert advertising.

Both bills call for amendments to the Gambling Law adopted in 2009 and updated in 2023.

USR has long been demanding a complete overhaul of gambling regulation following a major scandal earlier this year that revealed serious structural issues within the national regulator.

Reports stated that ONJN failed a financial audit, which found that the regulator had not collected nearly €1 billion in taxes and licensing fees – a story that dominated the news early in the year. ONJN defended itself by claiming that successive governments had failed to update tax administration systems despite annual changes to tax rates since 2018. The scandal led to leadership changes and the appointment of Vlad-Cristian Soare as the new head of ONJN.

However, the authority remains under pressure, and USR openly advocates for its complete dissolution. The party proposes transferring temporary oversight to the Ministry of Finance until a new regulatory body with modern compliance systems is established.

Additional pressure on ONJN grew in September, when city mayors and municipal authorities demanded the right to independently license and tax gambling establishments. They argued that the change is essential for recovering lost revenue and said they had “completely lost trust” in the national regulator.

Both bills are part of the broader agenda of the new coalition government formed in June, which aims to reform gambling policy, taxation, and the digital economy.

New Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, appointed by newly elected President Nicușor Dan, has been tasked with introducing another reform of gambling taxation.

The Ministry of Finance is already preparing a major overhaul of the tax regime, set to come into effect in June 2026. The plan includes new progressive tax brackets for player winnings and higher licensing fees across all forms of gambling.

Nazare painted the measures as necessary: “We want to send a very important signal regarding the taxation of gambling, which we know very well how harmful it is to vulnerable communities when left unchecked.”

Although the PNL and USR proposals differ in scope, together they reflect an accelerating consensus within the governing bloc: Romania’s gambling sector requires a structural reset  from youth protection and digital advertising to taxation, oversight and regulatory accountability.

Further legislative activity is expected in the coming months, as coalition partners prepare additional proposals on education, prevention, compliance, and long-term youth protection as Romanian politics views 2026 as a year of change for the gambling sector.

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