A new premiere in the Romanian gambling industry
Published in “Casino Inside”, issue 63
Thus, just one month after the coming into force of the Methodological Norms, there appeared the first significant consequences of a legal framework, that finally actually enables service providers of the gambling market to apply and obtain a Class 2 license for the specific services supplied to gambling organizers, outlining a new chapter in the history of the Romanian gambling industry.
These results are reflected in the fact that the National Gambling Office (“NGO”), through the Supervisory Committee, approved in its meeting held on March 30, 2016 the granting of the first Class 2 licenses to the service providers which have submitted the correct and complete documentation. According to the legal provisions, the licenses come into effect as of the first day of the month immediately following the month when the license fee for the first year of validity is paid.
Among the first service providers licensed in Romania are some of the best known suppliers in the industry at a global level, producers and distributors of specialized software for the provision of gambling IT programs, payment processors, and even economic operators which provide management and hosting facilities for the gaming platform, and Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen is honored to contribute to this premiere by representing some of the first licensed suppliers.
If the obligation to pay the license fee for the first year of validity within the deadline provided by law is not met, the approval decision will not produce its effects, without any further formalities.
According to the Methodological Norms, the Class 2 license is valid for 10 years from its issuance date, providing that the corresponding fees are paid, as follows:
- a) for the first year, by the 25th of the month immediately following the month when the documentation submitted by the economic operator is approved;
- b) for the subsequent years, at least 10 days before the one-year period has ended.
Also, as with any licensing or authorization procedure, required documentation must be submitted to the NGO’s Registry Office at least 9 business days before the meeting of the NGO’s Supervisory Committee is to be held, in this regard the NGO’s Supervisory Committee’s calendar of meetings throughout 2016 being published on the authority’s official website www.onjn.gov.ro (available at http://onjn.gov.ro/structura-organizatorica/autorizare/).
According to NGO’s verbal representations, the list of licensed service providers will be published soon on the official website of the authority, so as to ensure the natural transparency in the field, with impact on the relations between suppliers and remote gambling organizers intending to obtain a Class 1 license.
To conclude, 2016 has vigorously started for the Romanian gambling industry, through the completion of the legal framework and granting of the first Class 2 licenses, the latter being, as pointed out in the previous article, the first step (and an essential one as well) for the online industry to gain access to the next level, namely the licensing of remote gambling organizers, including those currently operating under the right to organize and operate remote games of chance granted under Article II para. (7) of Law no. 124/2015.
Place your bets lawfully!
