The National Audiovisual Council (CNA) of Romania has introduced decisive new regulations that prohibit the use of celebrity endorsements in all gambling-related advertising.
This sweeping ban will apply to all audiovisual media platforms within the country, including television, radio, and online channels.
To allow the industry to adapt, the measure will officially come into effect on October 6, 2025, providing operators with a three-month adjustment period.
The new rules notably exclude street billboards, an area of advertising that the National Audiovisual Council has stated falls under parliamentary jurisdiction rather than its own.
The announcement has prompted public discussion regarding how regulatory bodies will define a “celebrity.” In response, CNA President Valentin Jucan clarified that the council will adopt the same criteria that gaming companies employ when selecting public figures for their marketing campaigns, ensuring a clear and consistent standard.
Jucan affirmed the council’s resolute position, stating that the regulator would not retreat from these provisions.
He expressed a long-term goal for the gambling, pharmaceutical, and dietary supplement industries to achieve self-regulation, which he described as “the healthiest way” for society to function, mirroring practices in many other developed nations.
This legislative action in Romania is part of a broader international trend aimed at tightening controls on gambling promotion. Similar scrutiny has been applied to influencers and celebrities across Latin America, with Brazil enacting new advertising laws in May.
More recently, authorities in Argentina sanctioned 16 public figures for promoting illegal gambling sites.
The Kenyan government also took a similar step in May, outlawing the use of celebrity and influencer endorsements in all gambling advertisements.
