A week after it was revealed that the government of Romania suspended and blacklisted Bwin.Digital from operating within its borders, the gaming regulator for the country revealed that it has also blocked Bet365.
The move comes despite the betting giant paying millions of Euros in back taxes and being granted provisional online gaming licenses. The government opted to revoke the gaming license from Bet365, but no reason was given for the move. Industry speculation indicates that Romania could have suspended the license because Bet365 and Bwin both offered betting services to players while their gaming license applications were still pending.
A statement by the Romanian gaming regulator on the issue read: "Please note that by the no. 2723 decision published on 13.10.2015, the right of Hillside Gaming LP and Hillside Sports LP jointly offering gambling services by their gaming platform accessible via the website bet365.com has been cancelled."
"The company has been warned not to accept players who access their site from Romanian IPs or Romanian players under the law from this day forward and to remit all funds of the players that have registered a game account."
"We warned the players that they have 30 days to withdraw all amounts held in accounts of the operator, after which all access to the site will be restricted."