Polymarket’s ban in Romania follows similar crackdowns in the US, France, Belgium, Poland, Singapore and Thailand, where regulators cited unlicensed gambling activity. Romania’s National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has blacklisted leading prediction market Polymarket, calling it an unlicensed gambling platform operating outside state oversight. The decision follows what regulators described as a surge in crypto-based betting during Romania’s presidential and local elections, where Polymarket’s trading volume reportedly exceeded $600 million, according to a recent statement from the regulator. ONJN added that the platform’s activity constitutes “counterpart betting,” meaning users wager money against one another on the outcomes of future events, a model that falls squarely under gambling laws, regardless of its blockchain-based format. Read more
Installing Bitcoin ATMs inside post office locations is part of a broader push to modernize Romania’s postal service with digital tech. Poșta Română, the national postal service of Romania, installed its first Bitcoin ATM at a branch location in the city of Tulcea, in partnership with the Bitcoin Romania (BTR) exchange. According to an announcement from the postal service, the next locations to receive Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs will be in Alexandria, Piatra Neamț, Botoșani, and Nădlac. The ATMs are part of a broader push to overhaul existing infrastructure with digital technology and to expand service offerings to underserved areas in the country. Read more