Romania's Amended iGaming Rules Now More In Line With EU Laws
January 1, 2015 2:34 pmJust before the end of 2014, the Romanian government passed an emergency ordinance with one of its amendments including an increase of the licensing fees for casino from €89,000 to €100,000. However, its most important amendments concern online gambling which is now legal for both operators and players alike, with foreign operators also permitted to locate their gaming equipment and servers outside of Romania.
In addition, the new rules is seen as a way of better protecting the country’s minors and addicted persons from the dangers of online gambling, and as President of the National Office for Gambling, Odette Nestor, explains: “Through this ordinance, the Government has managed to regulate the online gambling sector, which was regulated in 2010, but not completely. We now have a legal framework that allows gambling operators to get licensed in Romania, and through this licensing, we will protect minors and Romanian players.”
The state also stands to receive a boost to its coffers in terms of its fiscal funds, as the previous universal 25% income tax requirement has now been reduced to 1% for players with earnings below €15,000, set at 16% for revenues higher than €15,000, while revenues greater than €100,000 will still continue to be subject to a 25% tax rate.
Another important amendments also included in Government Emergency Ordinance no. 77/2009 is a requirement for operators to connect their slots and gambling machines to servers belonging to the National Office for Gambling, thus reducing the possibility of fiscal fraud. The majority of the new rules are designed to bring the country in line with requirements of the European Commission, and are expected to come into force within a period of 45 days.