Romania’s ONJN opened a €5m grants programme on 17 April 2026 for projects focused on preventing and treating gambling addiction. Applications begin on 20 April, with selected projects scheduled to start on 3 August and run for up to four months; contracts are due to be signed by the end of July.
The programme creates grant opportunities for organisations working on gambling-harm prevention and treatment in Romania.
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A Romanian court rejected Polymarket's request to suspend the ONJN decision classifying the platform as operating without a licence, according to the report. The regulator blacklisted Polymarket in October 2025 after reporting more than $600m in trading volume during the presidential election and $15m during Bucharest's local elections; it said those totals represented cumulative transactions.
Romania’s Senate approved a bill that would raise the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21; it now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for further readings. The Senate also approved a separate proposal to prohibit gambling advertising from 6am to midnight across online and audiovisual channels, with further proposed restrictions on celebrity, athlete and influencer endorsements.
Romania’s ONJN and ICI Bucharest have signed a cooperation protocol to develop a digital system for player self-exclusion. The proposed system would replace the current technical solution and allow remote applications using identity-document scanning and biometric verification; legislative changes proposed by ONJN would establish a single scheme binding online and land-based operators.
Valentin-Ioan Tomescu has replaced Vlad-Cristian Soare as president of Romania’s ONJN. A prime ministerial decision formalised the appointment while a corruption investigation involving senior ONJN figures continues. Soare said he received no explanation for his removal; the report does not establish that he was implicated in wrongdoing.
Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan appointed Valentin-Ioan Tomescu to replace Vlad-Cristian Soare as president of the National Office for Gambling. Soare said he had not been given a reason for his dismissal; the source reports no further details on the appointment's timing or next steps.