Southeast Asia News Desk

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Romanian regulator, the ONJN, is allocating €5 million (£4.3m) in grants to tackle problem gambling.

This financing is being distributed under the National Public Interest Programme ‘Conscious and Free’, a commitment formalized by the ONJN and published in the Official Gazette in December 2025.

The grants will provide non-reimbursable funding for non-profit initiatives, drawn directly from the ONJN’s 2026 budget earmarked for promoting socially responsible gambling.

The allocation is divided into three key areas. The majority of the funds, €3.6 million, is designated for prevention, education, safeguarding minors, treatment, counselling, research, digitalisation, and the promotion of responsible gambling.

An amount of €1.2 million is set aside specifically for establishing or expanding specialised treatment centres, a category of funding exclusively available to public authorities.

The remaining €200,000 will support studies and impact assessments to guide the development of future public policies and intervention strategies.

A complete timeline has been announced, outlining four distinct phases. The deadline for application submissions is 11 May, with eligibility assessments to be published on 15 May. A window for appeals will run from 18-20 May, followed by the release of final resolutions and compliance results between 21-26 May.

On 8 July, the ONJN will publish the findings of an independent analysis along with the report from a specially appointed ONJN Evaluation Commission.

These preliminary results can be challenged until 13 July, with the definitive results scheduled for publication on 28 July.

The concluding phase involves finalising funding contracts from 29-31 July, with a target start date for all projects set for 3 August. Each initiative is planned to run for a four-month period, concluding in December 2026.

Vlad-Cristian Soare, President of ONJN, stated: “I promised that these projects would materialize. Despite all the obstacles in the past, the projects will exist and, most importantly, they will help vulnerable people.

“We are thus ensuring the first funding in the history of ONJN for this type of programs and, at the same time, the necessary regulatory framework has been created for funding in the coming years.

“I would like to remind you that, in order for these fundings to become possible, a collective effort was needed by ONJN, the Ministry of Finance and UEFISCDI, an effort that involved: amending the law; reforming the internal responsible gaming service existing at the level of ONJN; building the legal mechanism and adopting two orders of the President of ONJN that established the methodology and the applicant’s guide; public consultations; creating a platform for submitting projects; approving the State Budget Law; publication of the program and the announcement.”