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First-of-Its-Kind Platform Brings Transparency to Romanian Gaming Market
ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare developed the cloud-native application in five months, meeting a legislative requirement that had been pending for approximately two years. The platform provides the public with an interactive map showing authorized gaming device locations and generates unique QR codes for each device.
Platform Features and Functionality
The registry allows users to filter by county, locality, or operator while displaying the status of each gaming device. For each device, the platform shows the serial number, company and brand ownership, location address, license information, authorization period, and operational status.
The system categorizes operators into two classes: Class I operators who exploit gambling, and Class II operators who produce, rent, or distribute gaming equipment. Each category displays specific information relevant to their operations.
Class I operator listings include device serial numbers, company and brand ownership, location addresses, licenses, authorization periods, and operational status. Class II operator listings show device serial numbers, manufacturers, storage or rental locations, and transaction status including sales information.
Users can click on any device serial number to access a detailed page with complete information and precise map location.
The Romanian Digitalization Authority provided support for the project, ensuring security, redundancy, and scalability through integration into the government cloud infrastructure.
QR Code Mandate and Market Control
Starting February 2026, all slot machines and video lottery terminals must display QR codes issued by ONJN and include geolocation systems, according to Law no. 141/2025. The registry currently generates these QR codes automatically for each gaming device.
Citizens can scan a device’s QR code to access official registry information instantly, creating a form of social and institutional control that prevents unauthorized device operation. ONJN positions the registry as a critical tool for combating black market activity in the gaming sector.
The organization acknowledges potential errors during the current testing phase, noting the early launch allows time for corrections and improvements before the February 2026 mandate. Some gambling organizers have delayed registry integration, but ONJN has stated that non-compliant operators will face sanctions.
Leadership Statement on Registry Implementation
“In just five months, together with my team, we managed to do what should have been done for almost two years: a public, transparent and functional registry. We are talking about a unique instrument at European level, which brings order to the market, offers protection to citizens and discourages illegal activities. The existence of the registry becomes all the more important, given that we have also introduced into the law the obligation to equip gaming devices with QR codes and a geolocation system. I want to publicly thank the ADR leadership who supported us in ensuring that this system is already integrated into the Government Private Cloud infrastructure. We created this IT system for the people, for the Romanian state and for the benefit of consumers, even though we felt pressure for this registry not to exist. Everything we have done so far, a self-exclusion system in retail, record fines, over 5,000 control actions, criminal complaints filed, confiscations of unlicensed gaming devices, revocations of licenses, suspensions of platforms online, the amendment of the legislation, all demonstrate that we have only protected the interests of the Romanian state and have prioritized the protection of players, imposing strict regulation of the market. I know that the National Office for Gambling still has a lot to recover, after years in which the institution did not keep up with the realities of the market, but I believe that we are on the right track. I am glad that we have institutional support from Minister Alexandru Nazare, so we will continue to build a solid framework, based on transparency and accountability. These results do not belong only to me, but to the entire team that worked alongside me. I am aware that we still have a lot to do, but what matters is that, today, ONJN proves that it can change and that it can be an institution that both the people and the Romanian state can rely on.”
Vlad-Cristian Soare, President of ONJN, highlighted the organization’s recent regulatory actions, including a self-exclusion system in retail, record fines, over 5,000 control actions, criminal complaints, confiscations of unlicensed devices, license revocations, and online platform suspensions. He credited institutional support from Minister Alexandru Nazare and acknowledged the work of the entire ONJN team.
Source: National Office for Games of Chance (ONJN)
