meta_id 3420581

On August 20, 2026, Romania's National Office for Gambling (ONJN) announced in a press release that it had sanctioned TG Malta Limited, operator of the TotoGaming.ro platform, for violating responsible gambling principles through a coordinated advertising campaign featuring a medical professional. The fine imposed amounts to RON20,000 (€3,808). Additionally, a licence suspension was proposed, which the ONJN's Supervisory Committee will decide upon. The ONJN identified advertising materials across multiple channels—a billboard in Cluj County, YouTube videos with over 91,000 views, and Instagram posts—depicting a character presented as a doctor in medical attire with a stethoscope, promoting gambling during work breaks with the message "Easy to use between appointments. Try it too." The campaign associated gambling participation with professional downtime, specifically linking play to intervals "between appointments" and "after the last patient." The ONJN determined this marketing approach violated responsible gambling principles by normalizing gambling as a routine daily activity integrated into work schedules, rather than as a distinct, controlled activity. The regulator emphasized that using a medical professional's image to endorse gambling was particularly problematic, as it leveraged public trust in the medical profession to validate gambling behavior and diminish perceived risks. The ONJN noted that gambling disorder is recognized by the World Health Organization as a serious mental health condition (ICD-11: 6C50). The ONJN concluded the campaign encouraged repeated participation by transforming ordinary daily pauses into gambling opportunities, contrary to legal obligations under Emergency Ordinance 77/2009 and Government Decision 111/2016 . The regulator also referred the matter to Romania's National Audiovisual Council (Consiliul Național al Audiovizualului) regarding audiovisual advertising compliance.