Romania Replaces Gambling Regulator President Without Giving Public Reason

BUCHAREST, Romania – Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has removed Vlad-Cristian Soare as president of Romania’s National Gambling Office and named Valentin-Ioan Tomescu as his successor.

The government did not publicly state a reason for the leadership change, which comes as ONJN remains under scrutiny over regulatory failures and corruption allegations involving agency officials.

Soare was dismissed through Prime Ministerial Decision No. 283/2026, while Decision No. 284/2026 appointed Tomescu as president with the rank of secretary of state. Both measures were published in Romania’s Official Gazette on Aug. 21 and took effect that day.

Soare Says No Reason Was Given for Dismissal

Soare said after his removal that he had not been informed of the reasons behind the decision. He also expressed disappointment that he believed the change was not made on the basis of merit, while defending the regulatory and enforcement work undertaken during his tenure.

He had led ONJN since April 25, 2025, after being appointed by then-Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Soare took office as the regulator was dealing with findings from Romania’s Court of Accounts concerning weaknesses in gambling supervision, tax collection and monitoring.

A Court of Accounts audit published in July found significant and widespread compliance failures at ONJN during 2024. The auditor calculated damage to the state budget at RON149.5 million and said it had referred indications of possible criminal conduct to the appropriate authorities.

Leadership Change Follows Corruption Investigation

The transition also follows an unrelated National Anticorruption Directorate investigation involving senior ONJN personnel. In July, prosecutors announced criminal proceedings against Deputy General Director Ana-Maria Badea over allegations of repeated bribery and placed several other people, including two ONJN inspectors, under judicial control.

Prosecutors allege Badea received €2,500 in connection with requests made by gambling companies, while the inspectors are accused of accepting payments to overlook irregularities during inspections. The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings, and no connection between those cases and Soare’s dismissal has been established.

During Soare’s tenure, ONJN increased enforcement against unlicensed gambling and pursued changes to player-protection systems. The regulator also took action against prediction-market platforms, including blocking Polymarket after election-related trading surged in Romania.

Tomescu Takes Over Regulator Under Pressure

Tomescu is an existing ONJN official who previously led the regulator’s General Directorate of Supervision and Control and has served as head of its South-East Territorial Service in Constanța.

He inherits an agency facing several simultaneous challenges, including strengthening operator supervision, recovering unpaid gambling fees, restricting illegal websites and continuing work on Romania’s self-exclusion framework.

The change also comes as Romania’s gambling market undergoes broader restructuring. New rules have expanded local government authority over land-based gambling, while tighter enforcement has reduced the number of authorized gaming locations and machines in parts of the country.

Neither the dismissal decision nor Tomescu’s appointment provides an explanation for why Bolojan changed ONJN’s leadership. The government has also not publicly linked the move to the audit findings or ongoing anti-corruption investigations.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation