Romania's self-exclusion runs through a national database held by the regulator, ONJN, and it has no fixed term: once you are in it you stay excluded until you formally withdraw your consent at ONJN, and every licensed operator must check the database before a gaming session and refuse you. It takes effect one calendar day after you are entered. The free helpline is 0800 800 099 (Joc Responsabil, weekdays 09:00–17:00), with psychological counselling by live chat available 24/7.
| National helpline | 0800 800 099 — Joc Responsabil, free, Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 |
|---|---|
| Online counselling | Live chat with a psychologist, 24/7 |
| National self-exclusion | ONJN database under art. 15¹ of OUG 77/2009 — no fixed term |
| When it starts | One calendar day after you are entered in the ONJN database |
| How to apply | ONJN offices, e-mail with qualified e-signature, notary or lawyer declaration, or via a licensed operator |
| How it ends | Only by withdrawing consent at ONJN — a request made to an operator is not valid |
| Regulator | Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN) |
| Free blocking app | BetBlocker, distributed in Romania by Joc Responsabil |
Verified helplines
| Service | Phone / chat | Hours | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joc Responsabil — HelplineRun by Asociația Joc Responsabil; also offers free in-person evaluation and counselling sessions. | 0800 800 099Live chat with a psychologist 24/7 on jocresponsabil.ro | Helpline Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00 (free); online counselling 24/7Romanian | jocresponsabil.ro |
Helplines and online chat
The national line is 0800 800 099, run by Asociația Joc Responsabil (jocresponsabil.ro). It is free, answered on weekdays between 09:00 and 17:00 in Romanian, and the association also offers free in-person evaluation and counselling sessions.
Outside those hours the useful option is the chat. Consiliere 24/7 is an online live-chat psychological counselling service staffed by the association's psychologists and available around the clock; the chat module is embedded in the websites of member operators, so it can be opened mid-session, which is when people most often want it. For the moment before that — the urge itself — our guide on getting through a gambling urge at night may be more use than a form.
If the losses have brought you to thoughts of ending your life, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. Free crisis lines in any country are listed at findahelpline.com, and gambling lines by country are in our helplines directory. Debt and paperwork can wait until tomorrow.
Self-exclusion
Self-exclusion is a right under article 15¹ of OUG 77/2009, and the procedure that makes it work was approved by ONJN Order no. 79 of 13 June 2025, published in Monitorul Oficial no. 557 of 17 June 2025. The mechanism is a single encrypted database of self-excluded persons held by ONJN, which operators must consult before a gaming session begins and, if you are listed, refuse participation.
The term: there isn't one
Unlike GAMSTOP or the Czech register, Romania sets no menu of six months, one year or five. The request form states that the measure applies until an express request to withdraw consent. It runs indefinitely and ends only when you go back to ONJN and ask for it to end.
It becomes binding on operators after one calendar day, counted from 00:00 on the day after you are entered in the database. Withdrawal works on the same one-day clock in reverse.
Four ways to apply
- In person at ONJN's head office, Calea Victoriei 9, Bucharest, or at any territorial office — you bring your ID, fill the form in on the spot and it is validated there.
- By e-mail to autoexcludere@onjn.gov.ro, if you hold a qualified electronic signature.
- By a declaration on your own responsibility, notarised or attested by a lawyer, sent by the notary or lawyer to that same address.
- Through a licensed operator, which is legally obliged to forward the original request with a copy of your ID to ONJN within two working days.
Requests are accepted in your own name only, incomplete forms are not processed, and you are e-mailed a confirmation once yours has been validated.
Withdrawing consent is the asymmetric part: it can be done only at ONJN, through the first three channels above. A request handed to a gambling operator does not lift your exclusion, and does not excuse the operator if it lets you play.
ONJN states the limit of its own tool on the form itself: self-exclusion is not a treatment mechanism but a preventive protection, and it recommends contacting a specialist. It also binds Romanian-licensed operators only — see self-exclusion by country for how that gap is handled elsewhere.
Blocking gambling payments and sites
Joc Responsabil distributes BetBlocker in Romania — a free blocking app built by a UK charity, installed on any device, used anonymously with no account and no personal data collected. Its database covers more than 85,000 gambling websites and over 1,500 gambling apps worldwide, of which more than 78,100 sites are Romanian, licensed and unlicensed alike. It can be scheduled for specific hours or vulnerable periods and includes a password-protected parental control.
That combination matters here: ONJN's database stops licensed operators letting you in, and a device blocker is what stands between you and the offshore sites that no register reaches. There is no statutory bank gambling block in Romania; a card-level block, where available, is a feature of an individual bank or payment app. Our wider comparison is in blocking apps for iPhone and Android.
Free treatment and counselling
The association behind the helpline offers free evaluation and counselling sessions, and the 24/7 chat is staffed by psychologists — that is the free help available today.
Dedicated treatment capacity is being built rather than in place. In its 2026 session of the national public-interest programme Conștient și liber, ONJN allocated 25,410,500 lei (about €5 million) from its own revenues under article 10 of OUG 77/2009, of which 6,098,520 lei is ring-fenced for public authorities to create, expand or equip treatment centres for gambling addiction, and the largest line funds prevention, protection of minors, treatment and counselling of affected people, and research. ONJN's president described it as the first funding of its kind in the office's history — useful context, but it is project funding, not a service you can walk into this week.
If you want to gauge where you are first, our self-test takes a few minutes.
Gambling law and the regulator
The regulator is the Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc (ONJN), which licenses gambling under OUG 77/2009, including remote (online) gambling, and publishes the list of licensed organisers. It also enforces the responsible-participation rules on advertising: in August 2026 it sanctioned the operator behind an online platform over a campaign that used a character presented as a doctor, in a white coat with a stethoscope, with lines inviting people to play between patient appointments.
If gambling has already damaged your finances, treat that as a separate track from the exclusion paperwork — what to do about gambling debt. Terms used above are explained in our glossary.
Frequently asked questions
How do I self-exclude from gambling in Romania?
Submit a self-exclusion request to ONJN in one of four ways: in person at its head office in Bucharest or a territorial office, by e-mail to autoexcludere@onjn.gov.ro with a qualified electronic signature, by a notarised or lawyer-attested declaration, or through a licensed operator, which must forward it within two working days. You get an e-mail confirmation once it is validated.
How long does Romanian self-exclusion last?
There is no fixed term. Under the procedure approved by ONJN Order no. 79/2025, the measure applies until you expressly withdraw your consent, so it runs indefinitely by default. It becomes binding on operators one calendar day after you are entered in the database.
Can I cancel self-exclusion through the gambling operator?
No. Withdrawal of consent is accepted only at ONJN — in person, by e-mail with a qualified electronic signature, or by notarised or lawyer-attested declaration. A request handed to an operator has no effect and does not excuse the operator if it lets you play.
Is there a free gambling helpline in Romania?
Yes. Joc Responsabil runs 0800 800 099 free on weekdays 09:00–17:00, plus a 24/7 online live-chat counselling service staffed by psychologists. The association also offers free evaluation and counselling sessions and distributes the free BetBlocker app.