The new Romanian regime had made significant changes to the online gambling regulation in the country and many gambling providers have not been very happy with the proposed changes which were rolled out in May 2015. ONJN which is the gambling regulator in Romania recently announced that gambling operators who wished to provide services in Romania will have to apply for a new license.
There is a big catch associated with the application for a new license as ONJN requires all operators to back date their taxes to December 24, 2010 and pay a 20% fee on all revenue generated since this period. This is mandatory for all gambling operators if they want to continue offering services in Romania.
Unibet recently announced that it has started the process for applying for a new gambling license and will meet the requirements set out by ONJN. Unibet recently sent out an email to its media partners and affiliates stating
While Unibet is still analyzing the license requirements/conditions, we would like to let you know that Unibet is in the process of going ahead with its application for a Romanian license.
The proposal to roll out a 20% back dated tax on online gambling providers is expected to bring in around €90 million to the government. There has been a mixed response from gambling operators in Romania and based on the responses so far, they can be split into three categories.
The first group of gambling providers are made up of some of the biggest names in the business and are capable of paying back taxes. These providers are in the process of applying for a new license and till then will suspend Romanian poker players from accessing their website, till they gain necessary approve to operate in Romania.
The second group of gambling providers are not happy with the new law and are not convinced that they will be able to post a profit after paying backdated taxes and then operating under the new regulations. They are in the process of shutting down their operations in Romania and informing their players to withdraw all funds.
The final group of gambling providers are also upset with the new regime and regulations but plan to continue to operate in Romania without applying for a license. They will be breaking the law and have already been threatened with criminal proceedings by ONJN.
