The leadership of ONJN, Romania’s National Office for Gambling, has been summoned before Parliament to explain “serious failings and irregularities” discovered during an audit undertaken by the Court of Accounts.
Minister Diana Stoica, a Deputy of the Romania Union Party (USR), submitted the demand, stating that ONJN’s leadership must explain its shameful errors in front of an IT committee.
The CCR issued its audit of ONJN for the period 2019-2023 last week, revealing significant inconsistencies in gaming license auditing and regulatory monitoring in Romania’s gambling business.
The CCR says that ONJN’s excessive incompetence in assessing gaming licenses resulted in possible tax obligations ranging from 3.3 billion to 4.3 billion lei (€630 million to €900 million).
The study further stated that from 2019 to 2023, ONJN did limited verification of authorisation fees, resulting in unpaid tax disparities of 79 million lei (€16 million).
The CCR sent a critical audit to the government, claiming that ONJN’s incompetence was significant enough to justify a criminal probe.
ONJN must explain its role in tax failures
USR Deputy Diana Stoica described the situation as “scandalous,” urging that ONJN produce transparent answers and immediate corrective actions.
“The leaders of the ONJN orchestrated a massive scam and permitted the loss of lives. While Romanians spent 12.5 billion lei on online gambling in 2023, the ONJN failed to meet its fundamental legal obligations,” Stoica remarked.
Stoica emphasized that Parliament must hold ONJN accountable and enact tougher regulatory measures to prevent such failures.
USR Senator Ciprian Rus, who leads Romania’s IT Committee, supported the need for a direct probe, stating:
“The passive attitude and tacit complicity of ONJN leadership demonstrate either gross incompetence or systemic corruption. We demand clear answers and firm commitments to ensure such illegalities will not be repeated.”
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Wider consequences for Romanian gambling
The CCR audit also discovered that ONJN had failed in its principal responsibility of monitoring and managing online gaming firms. Since its inception, the agency has never exercised sufficient monitoring, including validating financial data given by gaming enterprises.
With Romania’s gaming industry expanding fast, these disclosures have heightened scrutiny on ONJN’s activities.
ONJN is now managed by Gheorghe-Gabriel Gheorghe, the fifth president of the national gaming agency since 2018.
Romania revised its gaming tax regime from 2019 to 2023, adding new license costs, a 2% monthly monitoring charge, vice taxes, and new gambling revenue tax levels.
Parliament is anticipated to consider potential legislative changes, including those previously recommended by USR, to strengthen laws and prevent repeat oversight failures in the gaming business.
As criticism grows, the Romanian government is under growing pressure to take strong action against corruption and incompetence in the gaming business.
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