Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has dismissed Vlad-Cristian Soare as president of the National Gambling Office (ONJN) with immediate effect, just over a year into his tenure, and appointed Valentin-Ioan Tomescu as his replacement. The change comes as the regulator faces corruption-related scrutiny and a tax deficit of nearly €1bn identified in a 2025 Court of Accounts audit.
Soare took charge of ONJN a little more than a year before his dismissal. The audit described missing tax payments of about €1bn, equivalent to roughly £855m. The shortfall has been linked to the tenure of previous leadership, including former president Gheorghe-Gabriel Gheorghe and former deputy Ana-Maria Badea, who is under judicial scrutiny amid repeated bribery allegations. Separately, Odeta Kristanela Nestor, who led ONJN between 2013 and 2017, was detained in June on suspicion of corrupt practices.
Tomescu previously led ONJN’s General Directorate of Supervision and Control and is the head of the regulator’s South-East Territorial Service in Constanta. The leadership transition places renewed attention on ONJN’s oversight responsibilities while the authority confronts financial and integrity concerns.
Soare’s Record and Reaction
During his term, Soare pointed to a reduction in the number of licensed gambling companies from about 200 to fewer than 100, as well as the blocking of more than 1,300 illegal gambling websites. Romania also banned prediction-market platforms including Polymarket and Kalshi during his tenure.
Soare said on LinkedIn that he had not been given a specific reason for his dismissal. He cited internal investigations, changes within ONJN directorates and referrals to anti-corruption prosecutors as part of the reform work undertaken during his administration. He also said the Anti-Corruption Directorate’s investigation into ONJN followed violations his administration had flagged internally.
Soare additionally highlighted efforts to modernise player-protection measures. According to his account, ONJN advanced a fully digital self-exclusion system and pursued legislative changes intended to bring online operators within its coverage.
Stakes for the Regulated Market
The change at the top of ONJN is a test for Romania’s regulated gambling market. The regulator must maintain its enforcement work while addressing the tax deficit and allegations affecting former senior figures.
The reduction in licensed operators and the blocking of illegal websites formed a central part of Soare’s stated record. Tomescu now takes over an authority whose ability to enforce gambling rules, maintain oversight and support player-protection systems is under heightened scrutiny.
Petra Vanhoof has spent the better part of a decade following the shifting tides of gambling regulation across Europe and beyond. She came up through the compliance side of the industry before pivoting to writing, which gives her a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on the rules, loopholes, and political maneuvering that shape how operators actually do business. She is particularly drawn to the gap between what regulators say and what the market ends up doing in response.