Matt Bastock

3 Oaks Gaming has continued its aggressive expansion after receiving regulatory approval in Romania.

Romania’s National Gaming Office (ONJN) has confirmed that over 50 of 3 Oaks’ slot releases have passed checks and will be available in the country. 

A release confirms titles approved by the regulator include, Coin UP: Lightning, 3 Hot Chillies and Sun of Egypt 4. 

Yurly Muratov, Chief Commercial Officer at 3 Oaks Gaming, commented, “Securing certification for our games in Romania represents an important milestone for 3 Oaks Gaming as we continue to extend our reach across Europe.” 

Muratov continued, “The achievement demonstrates our focus on providing engaging, compliant and high-quality content to new markets. Romania is a vibrant and growing market, and we are eager to collaborate with local operators to bring our diverse range of games to players in the country.” 

3 Oaks Gaming can now add Romania to an ever-growing list of regulated countries in which it can offer games. 

2025 has started with strong momentum for 3 Oaks. Although the company received a United Kingdom Gambling Commission remote license in March 2024, it has recently been cleared to launch a broad portfolio of titles after the regulator approved the slots in late January 2025. 

Sebastian Damian, Managing Director of 3 Oaks Gaming, stated, “Securing UKGC certification for our extensive portfolio is a landmark achievement for 3 Oaks Gaming. It underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality, engaging content that aligns with the highest regulatory standards.

He added, “The UK market represents a pivotal opportunity for us, and we are excited to partner with operators to bring our diverse games to players across the region. This milestone is a testament to our dedication to global growth and our ongoing mission to promote responsible and enjoyable gaming experiences.”

Expanding into Portugal: 3 Oaks Gaming Partners with Betclic

Portuguese customers will also be able to enjoy over 40 3 Oak titles, after the games met the regulatory standards set by the Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ).

Entry into the Portuguese market comes as part of a collaboration with Betclic.pt, the first operator to secure an online betting license in Portugal in 2016. Betclic will be taking advantage of 3 Oaks titles through IGT PlayDigital, a single integration offering operators a variety of games from third-party studios. 

Krasimir Pankovski, Head of Sales at 3 Oaks Gaming spoke to CasinoBeats last year, emphasizing the company’s focus on Hold and Win games, and being the best in their niche. 

He said, “For us, it is important to focus on our niche, showcasing that 3 Oaks Gaming is one of the top providers of Hold and Win games across the globe and we deliver a high-quality product that continues to evolve.”

Pankovski added, “We also observe that the Hold and Win mechanic still has a hugely successful impact, so it is vital that we ensure that our portfolio remains fresh and unique, subtly adapting this classic series of slots with vibrant and modern twists to ensure they remain in the player’s gaze.” 

Written By

Matt Bastock

Matt is a casino and sports betting expert with over two decades’ writing and editing experience. He loves getting into the nitty gritty of how casinos and sportsbooks really operate in order to make solid recommendations based on real experiences. His favourite games are blackjack and poker, and he loves watching NFL and soccer in his spare time.

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Underlining an aim to uphold “the highest industry standards”, the licence ensures that BetConstruct follows Romania’s regulatory requirements as the firm looks to continue supplying customers in the nation with “secure, reliable, and enjoyable gaming experiences”. 

The igaming provider lauded the licence as a commitment to “promoting responsible gaming and industry regulations”, while welcoming Romania’s “strict” gaming laws. 

Igaming services that BetConstruct can now provide in a regulated fashion across Romania include a range of different offerings, from platform provision to CRM solutions. 

Last month, the provider announced the launch of Last Battle, a rewards-based loyalty scheme that gives operators complete control over incentives and reward structures. 

Players with access to BetConstruct partners utilising the Last Battle programme will be able to earn experience points (XP) for completing actions like account verification and wagering.

Additionally, the firm recently partnered with Fast Track to introduce a range of AI-powered CRM solutions to its offering. 

Fast Track’s CRM platform, described as a product that utilises “real-time data to enable targeted campaigns and dynamic, personalised player journeys”, has been added to BetConstruct’s offerings as a result of their partnership.

BetConstruct also bolstered its online casino offering earlier this year by securing a partnership with slot streaming service Livespins.

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The online casino and sports betting operator entered Romania earlier this year, but this deal marks its first partnership in Romanian sports. It has previously entered sponsorship agreements with five football clubs in its home nation of Armenia. 

Harutyun Vardanyan, CEO of TotoGaming, commented: “This collaboration was anticipated. Supporting the development of sports and promoting a healthy lifestyle have been core principles of TotoGaming from the beginning. 

“CFR Cluj exemplifies these championship values. The club, with its 100-year history, knows what it takes to become a champion.”

TotoGaming’s collaboration with the eight-time Romanian football champions has begun for the 2024/25 season and will continue across two full seasons. 

The deal enhances the ties between online casino operators and football, with several brands recently forming agreements with Premier League sides before the 2024/25 season began in August. 

Leicester City formed an agreement with BC.Game and Southampton FC partnered with Rollbit – with both clubs agreeing to sport each crypto casino’s branding in front-of-shirt sponsorships. 

Each deal between gambling operators and football sides arrive ahead of an voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships set to be placed on Premier League clubs at the end of the 2025/26 season.

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Alongside the acquisition, the gaming company has described Romania as its “fifth core market” along with the UK, Italy, Spain and Denmark, as Winner will now join its global portfolio which includes brands such as William Hill, 888 and Mr Green.

Launched in 2019, Winner has built a strong market presence “through its focused strategy to deliver innovative products, highly localised experiences, and significant local distribution through 20,000 retail deposit points”. The operator delivered approximately €19m in gross gaming revenue during the first six months of 2024.

As part of the acquisition, evoke will “inject its Romania business plus a cash consideration of €10m (on a debt-free, cash-free basis) in exchange for a 51% share in the enlarged Romania business”, bringing together 888.ro and Winner to create a NGS group with a market share of approximately 7%.

A multi-brand strategy will be operated by NGS in the region to leverage the local and global brands. evoke will own between 51% and 57% of the business based on a 2026 earn-out calculation, with the option at its sole discretion to increase ownership to 100% from the third anniversary of completion.

Subject to customary regulatory clearances, the transaction is expected to close in Q3 2024, not to impact 2024 financial leverage and is expected to enhance earnings in 2025 and beyond.

In addition, evoke noted that its previously issued FY24 guidance hasn’t changed, with H2 2024 revenue expected to grow by 5-9% and adjusted EBITDA margin expected to improve to approximately 21%.

Per Widerström, CEO of evoke, commented: “I am excited to announce the addition of Winner to the evoke portfolio. This acquisition is consistent with our strategy to build sustainable market-leading profitable positions in the most attractive markets.

“It is also consistent with our M&A strategy to focus on low-capital, high-impact combinations that accelerate the delivery of our strategy.”

evoke has stated that the transaction aligns with its strategy to “focus on low-capital, high-impact routes to value creation”.

The company added that the deal is “expected to enhance earnings and reduce leverage for the Group in 2025 and beyond benefitting from both strong growth in the Romanian market, an effective dual-brand strategy enhancing ROI from marketing and synergies from the business combination”.

The combined Winner-888 business in Romania will be managed by the current Winner CEO, Nicklas Zajdel, who joined the business back in 2023, with its local management team of nearly 80 people to complement evoke’s approximately 500 people based in the country, as Romania is one of evoke’s strategic centres for group functions. 

The business will also operate on the third-party platform Newton, benefitting from “a highly localised technology, product, and player platform”. The combination will also “leverage evoke’s scale benefits, as well as the group’s key competitive advantages of data and intelligent automation and leading distinct brands”.

With the addition of Romania, evoke is targeting a podium position in each of its now five core markets.

Zajdel stated: “This is an incredibly exciting transaction, bringing together our local-hero brand, with one of the world’s strongest international casino brands.

“Romania is a high-growth market, and this combination sets us on the path to a sustainable, profitable, market-leading position. Winner has a strong leadership team and we are building on our success in the market through our highly localised approach, and competitive advantages such as our product platform, our enhanced personalisation and a wide network of deposit points.

“I look forward to working with the team at evoke to further deploy these competitive advantages across the enlarged business, driving significant benefits to our customers with enhanced personalisation, and ultimately driving our success in the market and value creation.”

Widerström added: “We have enjoyed significant success in Romania, which is an exciting growth market. 

“This combination will cement a leading position for evoke, and I am looking forward to working with the whole team at Winner to deliver ongoing profitable growth and market share gains, as we deliver exceptional products through two incredibly strong and complementary brands.

“I am delighted to announce the creation of our fifth core market and have no doubt that this transaction will deliver significant value creation on top of our previously announced plan.”

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In plans that were put forward on Friday July 19, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated a decree co-authored by Romania’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice to launch eight ‘regional centres for the treatment of addictions’.

Key to the strategy is a localised approach for each region in focus, as the new strategy aims to address current ‘treatment inadequacies’ for drug, alcohol and gambling addictions within Romania, particularly for those under 25.

Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, endorsed the project, citing that the current framework to combat addictions left Romanians exposed as treatment options were primarily offered by private clinics and NGOs.

Gorghiu stated: “I’m glad that the party I belong to, PNL, initiated this law because in Romania the state could not properly treat these big problems that are especially among the young generation.”

The Ministry of Justice will oversee the project, in which the government must prioritise the funding and construction of the regional addiction centres, though no specific timeline has been provided.

Regional MPs and mayors have raised growing concerns related to gambling addiction, as over 25,000 gambling venues operate in the country.

In April, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu sanctioned an executive order to ban “gambling localities in towns with less than 15,000 registered inhabitants”.

However, an intervention by the Supreme Court of Cassation deemed that PM Ciolacu must implement his executive order as a federal law requiring a constitutional review.

Romania’s licensed operators are currently adjusting to new tax rates applied to gambling winnings of 3 per cent on winnings up to 10,000 lei (€2,000), a fixed tax plus 20 per cent on winnings between 10,001 and 66,750 lei, and a fixed tax plus 40 per cent on winnings over 66,750 lei (€13,350).

Despite concerns about gambling addiction, Romania’s government has not funded a census on the issue since 2015, leaving authorities uninformed about the exact percentage of harm.

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The Supreme Court of Cassation and Justice announced the judgment and will evaluate the new land-based gambling restrictions which aim to reform Romania’s Criminal Code.

To change Romania’s Criminal Code, the Supreme Court has mandated a ‘constitutional review’ of the measure, prohibiting gambling in towns with fewer than 15,000 registered inhabitants.

In April, PM Ciolacu authorised the executive order of the ‘Legea Păcănelelor’ (The Pannel Law), which Parliament approved to enforce the headline measure.

The law will change Romania’s Criminal Code, making it a crime to operate slot-machine gaming devices without a municipal license, confirming that gambling venues must be in localities with over 15,000 inhabitants.

Penalties for violations range from three months to a year of imprisonment or a fine. Issuing a false population size certificate by the town hall will be punishable by six months to three years imprisonment.

The Supreme Court examined the headline measure and found that prohibiting gambling in rural towns violates Romania’s ‘bicameral principle’ on sanctioning federal laws. The proposed measures contain “constitutional flaws of both an extrinsic and intrinsic nature”.

In addition, the court highlighted the law’s deficiency in determining which Romanian towns will be subject to the law and how impacted venues will be required to relocate.

Further complications arise from the unclear enforcement of these regulations, especially in rural areas with limited municipal resources. The lack of compensation for local businesses affected by relocation mandates has also sparked contention among stakeholders.

The government is committed to stringent gambling regulations, as Ciolacu emphasised the need to protect public welfare over economic gains from gambling activities.

This commitment is evident in the recent appointment of Cristian-Gabriel Pascu as Vice President of the National Gambling Office (ONJN), despite his lack of experience in gambling or government, which raises concerns about effective enforcement.

As the government navigates legislative challenges, the focus remains on ensuring a controlled and regulated gambling environment, prioritising the well-being of its citizens.

Ciolacu stands by the executive measures of the Legea Păcănelelor as the most comprehensive action to end the exploitation of gambling in 90 per cent of Romanian towns.

Despite deferring summer enforcement, Parliament remains confident that the prohibition measure will stand. The government proposes no compensation for Romania’s 27 licensed operators of betting offices, including market leaders SuperBet, StanleyBet, Casa Pariurilor (Fortuna Entertainment) and Mozzart Kladionica.

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Hailing Romania as a “key regulated market”, Wazdan has accessed another corner of the Eastern European nation’s igaming audience as its slot titles become available on winmasters’ Romanian casino lobby. 

Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales and Business Development at Wazdan, stated: “Marking another step in our growth strategy, we are delighted to go live with winmasters, another strong brand in Romania that allows us further to establish our presence in a key regulated market.

“Through our engaging boosting features, we are certain that winmasters players will enjoy our innovative gaming portfolio, and we look forward to seeing this partnership grow from strength to strength.”

Wazdan slots to become listed on winmaster’s Romanian platform include Mighty Wild: Panther Grand Platinum Edition, Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins. 

The operator will also benefit from Wazdan’s collection of proprietary mechanics and gamification features, offering enhanced gameplay with features such as Hold the Jackpot, Chance Level and Stick to Infinity.

Thanos Karakostas, Head of Product at winmasters, added: “Our strategic goal and commitment towards our players is to provide the best online casino experience in a modern and safe environment. Wazdan’s commitment to quality and player engagement is evident in its content, making this partnership one that perfectly aligns with our commercial aims.

“The addition of Wazdan’s extensive games portfolio to our lobby is exciting news for us and our players.”

Eastern Europe has been an area of focus in some of Wazdan’s recent deals, with a SuperSport partnership signed last month seeking to capitalise on the operator’s Croatian presence.

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Through the partnership, Skywind Group will add BGaming’s collection of slot releases to its portfolio of over 300 online casino titles. The content will then be distributed amongst Skywind’s network of Romania-facing operators. 

BGaming also revealed that once the partnership has been established in Romania, the two companies will look to extend their collaboration to Latin America, focusing on Colombia in particular. 

Olga Levshina, CCO at BGaming, commented: “We are proud to further our reach in Romania by partnering with Skywind Group, a supplier that shares our passion for providing the most creative content in the market.

“We look forward to further growth with Skywind, with plans to expand into Colombia, but for now we hope their Romanian players continue to enjoy our fun and engaging games.”

Within BGaming’s slot offering, Skywind’s operator partners will be able to offer their players the chance to play games such as Aztec Magic Bonanza, Wild Cash and Space XY.

The deal follows BGaming’s entry into Romania earlier this year when it secured a Class II licence from the Romanian National Gambling Office. 

“We are delighted to be providing BGaming’s top-tier, certified games to our players in Romania,” added Alina Popa, Business Development Manager at Skywind. 

“BGaming is known for its player-first ethos and we know that the content offering is developed specifically with player feedback in mind. For this reason, we anticipate a long and successful partnership.”

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The studio will soon tap into Romanian audiences for the first time after acquiring a B2B gaming licence from Romania’s Gambling Authority – Oficiul National Pentru Jocuri De Noroc. 

With this licence, Booming Games can offer its complete catalogue of igaming content to operators within the nation, as the supplier looks to ‘open doors to new opportunities in the broader European market’. 

Frederik Niehusen, Chief Commercial Officer at Booming Games, commented: “We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve obtained a full Romanian B2B gaming licence. This exciting development allows us to expand our presence in the rapidly growing Romanian market. 

Romanian players will soon be able to access Booming Games’ slot releases such as Burning Classics, TNT Bonanza, Cash Pig, Buffalo Hold and Win and Gold Gold Gold.

Niehusen added: “With this achievement, we’re well-equipped to build on our strengths and enhance our product offerings to better serve the needs of our customers.”

April has been a busy month of new market entries for Booming Games so far, having recently celebrated its approval for Portugal’s growing igaming space. 

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The collaboration will see BGaming integrate 41 games licensed for the Romanian market onto Superbet’s casino platform via iSoftBet’s game aggregator. 

Olga Levshina, CCO at BGaming, said: “We are delighted to integrate a selection of our most engaging games with Superbet’s renowned platform after a successful entry into Romania.

“This partnership recognises our growing position in the market, and we are pleased to make a portion of our creative portfolio available to Superbet’s players.”

International operator Superbet has a significant presence in several European countries, including Romania, Poland and Belgium. The company offers casino games, sports betting, live casino, lottery and virtual sports.

Nicholas Yu, Head of Content & Live Casino at Superbet, added on the deal: “BGaming is an excellent partner, and their gaming portfolio is helping us deliver on our goal of offering unique and unforgettable experiences to our players.

“As we continue our journey of exponential growth, we are very pleased to establish this agreement and provide our players with some of the best games on the market.”

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