William Hill shuts Romania operations
Operator cites "recent regulatory developments" as reason for withdrawing from the market
William Hill has withdrawn from the Romanian online gambling market due to what the company described as “recent regulatory developments”, eGaming Review can confirm.
The firm took the decision on 2 June to suspend the accounts of its Romania-based customers and advised them to withdraw any funds held by the operator.
The move follows a period of regulatory upheaval in the market with the development of a new online gambling framework.
“Following recent regulatory developments in Romania, we have taken the decision to cease to accept business from customers in that jurisdiction,” a William Hill spokesperson told eGR.
“We advise any William Hill affected customers to contact our customer services department,” the spokesperson added.
Last month Romanian authorities announced a back tax amendment to its Gambling Act, a move which requires operators to return 20% of revenues derived from the country since online gambling was banned in 2009.
A number of senior executives have since told eGR they would reconsider the commercial value of obtaining a licence, while a majority respondents to a recent eGR poll said the amendment will reduce the size of the Romanian online gambling market.
Earlier this year Ladbrokes also withdrew from a number of markets, including Romania, as a result of changes to legislation at the time.