A recent discussion in the Senate Judiciary Committee on new responsible gambling funding in Romania has again highlighted a familiar but uncomfortable issue. Such earmarked funds already exist on paper but fail to reach the programmes they were created for.
This was emphasised by Odeta Nestor, former head of the National Office for Gambling (ONJN) and current president of the Association of Remote Gambling Organizers.
Proposal earmarks 1% of betting tax for gambling addiction prevention and treatment
On the committee’s table was legislative proposal L239/2026, which provides that 1% of the taxes paid by betting companies will go to ONJN, in a special fund for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
The money would finance counselling and treatment centres, national information campaigns, training of behavioural addiction specialists and projects carried out by accredited NGOs.
Existing responsible gambling funds remain largely unspent despite operator contributions
Nestor explained: “This fund already exists in Ordinance 77, article 10. Into this fund, the operators each pay €500,000 annually.”
According to her, at one point the fund had accumulated €70m. The problem, according to Nestor, is that the heads of ONJN did not assume responsibility for spending this money. An order would have been needed to establish the procedure for using the funds.
The order never came, the money was not used and the Ministry of Finance transferred it to the state budget at the end of the year.
At a recent meeting, no representative of the ONJN or the Ministry of Finance attended. The committee th us postponed the project until the next meeting.
“Conscious and Free” €5m subsidy scheme allegedly faces uncertainty amid political crisis
Meanwhile, in April it was announced that under the “Conscious and Free” programme Romania’s gaming regulator ONJN will provide €5m in non-refundable subsidies for initiatives focused on preventing and treating compulsive gaming.
However, amid the political crisis and the collapse of the Government, the Romanian Association of Slot Machine Operators (Romslot) has highlighted uncertainty around this project and several other key processes in the market.
Responsible Gambling funding problem goes back years
The funding problem goes back further. Two years ago, local media reported that ONJN collected around €3.5m in the last three months of 2023 through its “Responsible Gambling” programme.
The money, funded by mandatory contributions from operators, was intended for addiction prevention and treatment. However, the funds had largely gone unused.
The Romslot association warns Romanian political instability could impact regulatory predictability
