Romania's Physical Casino Sector Shrinking Rapidly, Industry Calls for Government Intervention

FEDBET, Romania's gambling industry representative, has called on the government to take steps to protect land-based casinos. The organization says it represents roughly 90% of the market. According to FEDBET, about 8,500 jobs have been affected since February due to Emergency Government Ordinance OUG 7/2026.

Based on data from the national regulator ONJN, FEDBET reported that individual slot machine licenses fell from 43,306 in March to 15,462 as of November 1. The organization's spokesperson said most of the net decline stems from local governments failing to make the necessary decisions. FEDBET noted that it is not aware of any case where a machine was removed for other commercial or regulatory reasons among its members, but it has not been able to verify the reason for removal for each machine individually.

The ordinance, which entered into force in February 2026, transferred supervisory authority over land-based casinos from ONJN to local governments. According to the sector, the resulting fragmented oversight could cause operators to lose access to some markets. This has created uncertainty for investments and planning in physical venues.

In July, Iași county became the first local government to impose a full ban on land-based venues with slot machines. Bacău, Sibiu and Brăila counties, along with the cities of Slatina and Zalău, subsequently introduced similar bans. Super Technologies, a Romanian multinational company, announced that it will use Superbet venues affected by the bans for other purposes, continue to employ its staff, and keep its premises open.