Romanian National Lottery Investigated Over Unlicensed Operations

Following reports of registration issues within the Romanian National Lottery, the authorities decided to launch an investigation.

Loteria Romana has reportedly been operating a total of 6,264 slot machines during a period of 8 years without possessing the necessary documentation for such gaming activities, according to gambling news. It is believed that between 2006 and 2014, the Romanian government has lost out on a massive $111 million (463.4 million Lei) in uncollected tax earnings.

The investigation is currently on going and suspects involved in the large case are yet to be named to the public. In order to put an end to the illegal activities, the authorities have frozen the bank accounts of two firms, which are allegedly tied to the gaming provider. The National Lottery remains in operations as its accounts are reportedly still untouched.

Romania’s online gaming market receives heavy scrutiny

Recently Romania has been working hard to implement a new law concerning its online gaming industry, however the process has been met with criticism from European bodies of government. The European Commission has expressed “serious concern” regarding the Romanian gambling laws, and would like to see improvements made to the future ones.

The newly revised law titled GEO 92/2014 ordinance came into effect in February, however it has still not been fully approved by the government. The respective ordinance eliminated tax rates and licensing fees, while also not requiring that European Union gaming operators base their main servers on Romanian territory.