Romania has increased the tax on gambling winnings

A new progressive tax scale on gambling winnings came into force in Romania on 1 August. The measure forms part of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s overall package of budgetary savings. At the same time as the tax increase, the country’s regulator has found itself at the centre of a corruption scandal.

Romania’s budget deficit currently stands at 7% of GDP, the highest figure in Central Europe and significantly above the threshold required by European Union rules. To meet its commitments to Brussels, the authorities have introduced a three-tier tax scale on players’ winnings.

How tax is now calculated

The new system works as follows. Winnings of up to 10,000 Romanian lei, approximately 2,000 euros, are subject to a 4% tax%, previously, the rate was 3%. Winnings between 10,001 and 66,750 lei, approximately 13,350 euros, are subject to a fixed tax of 400 lei plus 20% on the amount exceeding 10,000 lei. For winnings in excess of 66,750 lei, the tax rate climbs higher still, with a fixed amount of 11,750 lei plus 40% on the amount exceeding this threshold.

Gambling as part of a major budgetary reform

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has made the gambling sector one of the central elements of his first package of economic reforms. Alongside an increase in the tax on winnings, the government has raised VAT and excise duties on fuel.

Following its victory in the 2025 elections alongside President Nicușor Dan, the new administration embarked on a large-scale overhaul of gambling legislation and licensing procedures. A four-party coalition comprising the PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR is responsible for these changes, with each party having its own demands regarding the reform.

The USR is the most hardline of all and is demanding that the national gambling regulator, the ONJN, be stripped of some of its supervisory powers following last year’s alarming audit findings. The PSD, for its part, is insisting on stronger public health protections, including raising the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21, but this measure has not yet been passed by parliament.

The Regulator Under Investigation

The rollout of the new tax regime arrives at a turbulent moment for the ONJN. National Anti-Corruption Directorate prosecutors accuse deputy director general Ana-Maria Badea of taking bribes to speed up approvals for commercial gambling products. Prosecutors have asked the court for a 30-day preventive detention order and say the payments were part of a systemic pattern inside the regulator. Investigators allege Badea took €2,500 to fast-track one set of authorisations. Her husband and several field inspectors are also under judicial control as the probe widens.

A Pattern of Cases at the ONJN

The scandal has put more pressure on ONJN president Vlad-Cristian Soare, who confirmed that four officials across the agency’s control and authorization divisions are under investigation. It follows the June arrest of former ONJN chief Odeta Nestor over a €100,000 bribe tied to anti-money laundering breaches. Nestor, who later led the Association of Remote Gambling Operators, was placed under house arrest. The agency’s standing was already damaged by a 2025 audit that found around €1bn in uncollected gambling tax had slipped through state hands.