Bwin.party "confident" of Romania resolution
Operator appears on regulator's recently published blacklist despite agreeing to pay 7.9m in back taxes
Bwin.party is in discussions with the Romanian regulator and expects to be granted a licence to operate in the country despite its blacklisting by the National Gambling Office (ONJN).
Bwin’s dot.com domain, as well as its Party Poker and Party Casino domains, appear on a list of operators prohibited in the country because they have not applied for a licence or paid back tax on revenues since 2010.
Yet despite having agreed to pay 7.9m in back taxes to Romanian authorities in order to obtain a licence, bwin.party appears on the register alongside operators who have withdrawn from the market.
Reports in local media suggested bwin.party was being punished for continuing to operate during a period when the government was conducting a review of the country’s online framework.
But a spokesperson for bwin.party told eGaming Review the firm remained confident it would receive a licence to operate in the country.
“Having lodged our application we have been responding to questions from the regulator to clarify certain aspects and are confident that we will obtain the necessary approvals once the application has been processed,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier this week Romania’s regulator told eGR it would target players who use unlicensed sites as the regulator begins a crackdown on the black market.
“Be assured that we will take actions against those who cause the violations of the law provisions, be they operators, persons providing related services or players,” Cristinela Odeta Nestor, ONJN president, said.