Romania’s gambling regulator ONJN has removed its president, Vlad-Cristian Soare, in a sudden dismissal that has left the industry asking serious questions about the decision.
Soare had served as President of ONJN, the Gambling Office of Romania, for just over a year before being removed from the post without warning.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan ordered the dismissal and has since appointed Valentin-Ioan Tomescu as Soare’s replacement at the head of the regulatory body.
Soare took to LinkedIn to share his reaction, confirming publicly that he was given no reasons for his removal from the role.
In the post, Soare said: “It was the greatest honor to represent the Romanian state as a dignitary and I thank God that I was able to live this experience.”
He continued: “I love Romania and, even if I am disappointed because my change was not made based on the principle of meritocracy, I will not stop believing in our ability to do good.”
Soare also used the statement to defend his record in office, insisting that under his leadership ONJN had begun tackling internal problems head-on.
His full LinkedIn post reads in part: “If anyone still wonders whose side I was on: also during my mandate, the institution began to clean itself from the inside. We changed the leadership of the directorates, we ordered internal investigations and notified the criminal investigation bodies whenever we had clues.”
The statement went further, addressing an ongoing anti-corruption investigation, with Soare writing: “This year’s Anti-Corruption Directorate investigation at the ONJN is a consequence of serious violations that are not compatible with the direction I wanted. I’m a technocrat. The results show who we defended: the Romanian state, the market balance and the people that gambling [affects].”
Soare had originally stepped into the role following the departure of his predecessor, who faced significant pressure to resign after a 2025 audit uncovered close to €1 billion in missing taxes connected to the organisation.
That former president, referred to as Gheorghe, had presided over ONJN during a period of serious institutional dysfunction that drew heavy political scrutiny toward the regulator.
The dismissal of Soare also comes against the backdrop of active corruption probes involving two high-profile figures previously associated with ONJN.
One individual connected to those investigations is Badea, who previously served as Deputy Director General under ex-president Gheorghe during the troubled period that preceded Soare’s tenure.
The leadership upheaval at ONJN continues a turbulent chapter for Romanian gambling regulation, with questions now turning to what direction Tomescu will take the organisation under the new political appointment.
