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Superbet Stands by Workforce Against Romania Gambling Venue Limits

By jili tutorial · September 2, 2026

Superbet Stands by Workforce Against Romania Gambling Venue Limits

Super Technologies (formerly Superbet Group) has asserted its “right to protect its employees and properties” amid Romania’s ongoing transformation of land-based gambling regulations. The country’s largest gambling operator has confirmed it will retain staff and repurpose affected Superbet venues rather than close them and make employees redundant.

The response follows the government’s Emergency Ordinance OUG 7/2026, enacted on February 24. The measure, signed by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, transferred control of land-based gambling venue licensing from the National Gambling Office (ONJN) to municipal councils and mayors.

How Municipal Control Is Reshaping Gambling Venues

Since implementation, municipalities now control where gambling premises may operate within local boundaries, determining designated zones and imposing annual local authorization fees. Councils including Slatina, Bacău, Sibiu, Brăila, Iași and Zalău have adopted prohibitions, with venue limits applied in “zone six” of Bucharest’s capital region.

Superbet notes that “restrictions have not been applied uniformly,” with different municipalities introducing varying exemptions on licenses, while lottery vendors face no limits.

Superbet’s Response: Respecting the Law, Protecting People

Superbet states it will respect the legal mechanism transferring licensing powers to local councils. However, the company is reviewing its options to challenge how the mechanism has been applied. Of greatest concern, Superbet expressed regret that employees in Romania have been left to absorb the consequences of these changes.

Transforming Venues into Community Hubs

In municipalities where gambling can no longer take place, affected Superbet venues will become “Home of Superliga” community centers. These premises will operate as “places where supporters can meet and watch Romanian Superliga fixtures and other major competitions.” Existing staff will receive face-to-face assistance and ensure no one-to-one betting occurs on site.

The initiative extends Superbet’s long-standing commitment to Romanian football as the principal commercial partner of the Superliga. It also allows the operator to maintain its retail presence while municipal restrictions prevent betting or gaming activities.

Leadership Speaks Out

Andrei Popa, General Manager of Superbet Romania, stated: “An administrative decision can change what we are allowed to do in a space, but it cannot cancel the things that unite us.

“As the main partner of the Superliga, we have a responsibility towards Romanian football and towards the people who live it. Our agencies already say ‘This is the Superliga,’ and we make sure that this remains true, transforming these spaces into places where the community gathers around the sport.

“For us, this means being part of a community: staying there even when it is harder.”

Superbet has also opened dialogue with central government and affected local authorities to identify solutions capable of protecting both communities and employment.

The Scale of the Challenge

The intervention is significant. Superbet operates a nationwide estate of more than 1,000 agencies. The latest accounts for its principal Romanian operating businesses reported over 2,600 employees in 2024, the majority connected to its land-based network.

A material reduction of its domestic retail estate would therefore carry significance beyond the immediate closure of individual venues.

Romania Remains Superbet’s Home Base

Romania remains the home of Super Technologies, founded in Bucharest by tech entrepreneur Sacha Dragic in 2008. The company established Superbet as the market-leading brand.

The country remains a core market supporting the group’s wider international ambitions, backed by a €1.3 billion (£1.1 billion) capital financing agreement led by private equity giant Blackstone and funds managed by HPS Investment Partners in 2025. The financing provides Superbet with capital for expansion into new markets, technology investment, and potential M&A in markets with aggressive growth potential—particularly Poland, Belgium, Greece, and Brazil.

At home, leadership must now manage an increasingly unpredictable regulatory environment in the market where the Superbet brand was established.

Operators and industry lawyers are assessing potential legal challenges against individual council decisions and the manner in which OUG 7/2026 has been implemented. Superbet has not publicly confirmed it has initiated legal proceedings, but it has pledged to continue talks with authorities while protecting its staff and assets.

ONJN Crisis Deepens

The municipal dispute follows several years of upheaval in Romanian gambling. In 2024, Parliament changed venue rules to remove slot-machine operations from localities with populations below 15,000, forcing operators to restructure their retail estates.

Further headwinds arrived with a tax change on August 1, 2026. The Ministry of Finance sanctioned a tax increase on online gambling licenses from 21% to 27%, implemented as a measure to tackle Romania’s budget deficit of 7–8%, deemed the highest of all Central and Eastern European nations.

Uncertainty has been compounded by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s dismissal of ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare on August 21. Soare, who held the position with the rank of state secretary, said he had not been informed of the reasons behind his removal. He was replaced by Valentin-Ioan Tomescu.

The change followed sustained criticism of ONJN over historic failures in tax collection, licensing controls, self-exclusion programs, and market supervision, as well as a corruption investigation involving senior personnel.

For licensed operators, the immediate concern is that there is no longer a trusted central authority capable of providing consistent direction for the market. With municipalities pursuing different policies, legal challenges under consideration, and ONJN beginning another leadership transition, the fallout continues without clarity over where Romania’s gambling laws will move next.