Casinos in Romania

Introduction

Romania’s gambling industry has expanded and contracted on a large scale several times over the years. The country has a mix of magnificent grand casinos, small betting shops, and small gaming halls. The sheer number of places to play and the way land-based gambling is done in the country is about to change again, this time with a great contraction. Legislation in 2024 banned gambling venues in small towns with populations under 15,000. That’s a major development for the gambling industry that is shaped the way Romania’s is.

The restriction was announced by the National Gaming Office (the country’s regulatory body) and it’s meant to stop the spread of gambling in rural areas and will likely lead to a major reduction in gambling sites. Romania currently has around 12,000 licensed establishments including casinos, bingo halls, sports betting spots, and lottery rooms. Many of these will close with the law.

Romania’s bigger cities like Bucharest, and the coastal city of Constanța are some of the gambling centers. Constanța is home to the famous Constanța Casino. Restoration work on the historic Constanța Casino began in 2020, and the project is nearing completion. It is scheduled for a November 2024 unveiling as a cultural center. It’s considered by most to be the first real casino in Romania having originally opened in 1909. It has had several restorations, each preserving its structural details and distinctive hand-made ornaments.

History of Gambling in Romania

Organized gambling in Romania goes back to 1906 when the Loteria Romana was established. The industry grew rapidly over the years and eventually it included thousands of betting shops, electronic gaming halls, and casinos. By 2019, Romania had about 30,000 gambling venues, including 15,000 slot halls, 13,400 betting agencies, and nearly 2,000 lottery outlets. It was one of Eastern Europe’s largest gambling markets and a popular destination.

Romania reintroduced legal gambling after the Soviet Union was dissolved in the early 1990s. Gambling was banned under Soviet rule. The country’s first land-based casino under the newly free government opened in 1991, and by 2010, online gambling was legalized for operators with a government license. In 2013, Romania went a step further and established the National Gambling Office (ONJN) to regulate and license the industry.

New regulations are set to ban gambling shops of any kind in towns with less than 15,000 people and that should keep land-based gambling concentrated in urban areas.

Legislation and Jurisdiction

Romania’s gambling industry is strictly regulated by the National Gaming Office. The regulator handles licensing, taxation, and compliance for all gaming establishments. Operators have to stick to tight guidelines on anti-money laundering (AML), data protection, and responsible gaming. Romania recently raised taxes on gambling revenue and on player winnings in an attempt to garner more revenue for the national budget.

All gambling operators must comply with AML and counter-terrorism financing regulations. They report transactions and conduct background checks on large transactions. Player data protection laws are in place to ensure privacy. The government also focuses on responsible gambling measures and mandates that all licensed establishments provide access to problem gambling resources and self-exclusion programs. Gambling advertisements are also regulated.

The ban on gambling establishments in smaller towns gives the government even more control - but it mainly affects small betting shops and electronic slot halls rather than large casinos in and around cities.

Popular Casinos and Games

Bucharest is where you’ll find most of Romania’s most important casinos, but palatial gambling centers with full amenities are also spread out in other areas of the country. The Grand Casino Bucharest is located inside the JW Marriott Hotel. It’s really a site to behold inside and out. Look for slot machines, table games, and poker. It’s a go-to hotspot for high-stakes players. Another landmark in Bucharest is the Platinum Casino. Look for a mix of slots, table games, and poker with great customer service and a high-end atmosphere.

Palace Casino at Casa Vernescu in Bucharest is another hotspot. It’s located in a historical building with origins in the 19th century. Casa Vernescu was built in 1821 as a gift to Lisaveta Balotescu-Carpinisanu and the building and grounds have served different uses over the years. At various times it has housed the Russian General Staff and hosted literary greats like Leo Tolstoy. It’s a high-class luxury casino today.

Romania’s second-largest city is Cluj-Napoca. Here you’ll find smaller casinos but they still receive plenty of footfall. Constanța on the Black Sea coast attracts both local and international visitors, usually in the summer months. The Constanța Casino is currently closed for restoration, and it is unlikely it will ever host a gaming venue again but it could. You will find two GameWorlds near the site though - Game World VIVO! and Game World City Park Mall Constanța.

Returning to Bucharest we find Fortuna Palace in Bucharest’s Universitate area and popular venues in shopping centers like Craiova Mall, where players can do some electronic gaming without needing to dress to the nines as is usually required in the more prestigious Romanian casinos.

Sports betting is hugely popular in Romania. There are literally thousands of betting shops across the country, especially in and around cities. Sports betting is licensed and regulated by the National Gaming Office, and the industry generates revenue through taxes on licenses and advertising. Romanians bet on soccer, tennis, and basketball. Online sports betting has also exploded so the ban on small-town betting shops will likely be picked up by players simply going online to bet.

Conclusion

Romania’s land-based casinos present a mix of the old and the new with grand palaces and small electronic gaming halls to satisfy almost any desire to gamble or player bankroll. While the ban on gaming sites in smaller towns and villages doesn’t make everybody happy, the country’s well-seasoned online gambling scene can be a fill-in for casino goers and sports betters. While perhaps out of reach for many residents, they can always dream of a night or a weekend at the Grand Casino Bucharest or the opulent historical Palace Casino at Casa Vernescu.

The country’s regulatory framework accomplishes the dual task of capturing revenues for the government while providing protection to consumers, especially vulnerable persons like children or those at risk of gambling addiction.

Since the government was well ahead of the curve in legalizing and regulating online gambling, took a proactive approach to citizen protection, and offers historical venues as well as modern electronic parlors like those found in malls, the ability to gamble safely and sanely in Romania is likely to remain a reality for the foreseeable future.