Higher fees for gambling operators, but also on players’ winnings
The Government of Romania adopted Ordinance 15/2022 published in the Official Gazette of Romania no. 716/15 July 2002 which provides for a significant increase in fees for licensing, annual authorization, video lottery (special fee), but also advertising and also Ordinance 16/2022 for the amendment of the Fiscal Code which also provides for a substantial increase in the taxes on players’ winnings.
The intention of the legislator is to ensure funds to the state budget, to collect the necessary revenues in order to meet the proposed objectives, to authorize all gambling operators, in strict compliance with the legal provisions in force, framing in terms of gambling legislation, of the activity carried out or proposed to be carried out by an operator, in the categories of gambling provided by law, the prevention of the activity carried out by the gambling operators without authorizations and last but not least, the increase of the level of confidence of the population in state institutions.
The main changes provided for in the two Ordinances are:
– Advertising tax
– Increase in annual fees, including for software manufacturers
– Fines for companies
– Raffle guarantees
– Taxes on companies and gambling players by amending the Fiscal Code
Some provisions have the date of entry into force on 1 August 2022, while others have the date of application on 1 January 2023.
Although professional gambling associations have stressed that these tax increases will not have the expected effect, they will even have the opposite effect and will lead players to the area of unlicensed gambling, through these measures, the Government estimates an influence positive effect on the increase in revenues collected from the state budget of up to 40%. Thus, for the rest of 2022 and 2023, it is estimated that the revenues collected from the state budget will increase by the amount of 530.4 million lei, excluding the revenues from contravention fines.
