Evolution Opens Bucharest Live Studio as Romanian Market Becomes Eastern European Hub
Evolution has officially launched its new live dealer studio in Bucharest, marking the company's eighth European production facility and a strategic bet on Romania as a gateway to Eastern European markets. The 4,200 square metre facility will employ over 700 dealers and presenters at full capacity.
Evolution inaugurated its Bucharest live casino studio on Thursday, with CEO Martin Carlesund describing Romania as 'one of the most underestimated regulated markets in Europe' during a launch event attended by ONJN representatives and key operator partners. The 4,200 square metre facility, located in the Pipera business district, houses 42 live tables across blackjack, roulette, baccarat and game show formats, with capacity to scale to 80 tables by mid-2027. The studio will broadcast in Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish, targeting regulated and soon-to-be-regulated jurisdictions across the region.
The Bucharest launch comes as Romania's online gambling market continues its post-reform expansion, with the ONJN reporting first-quarter GGR of €412 million, up 14% year-on-year. Evolution confirmed integration deals with Superbet, Betano, NetBet Romania and Mozzart, with the first three already streaming content to players. Carlesund noted that the studio's multilingual capacity also positions Evolution to service the Greek market following Hellenic Gaming Commission approval received earlier this month, as well as upcoming opportunities in Albania and North Macedonia.
Romania has emerged as an attractive location for live casino production due to its skilled multilingual workforce, competitive operating costs and improving regulatory clarity following the 2024 tax reforms that stabilised the licensing framework. Pragmatic Play opened a smaller Bucharest studio in 2023, and Playtech expanded its Targu Mures facility last year, but Evolution's investment — estimated at €38 million — represents the largest single live casino infrastructure commitment in the country to date. Local officials suggested the facility could create up to 1,000 indirect jobs through suppliers and technical services.
Industry analysts view the move as part of Evolution's broader strategy to reduce dependency on its Latvian and Maltese hubs while building regional resilience. 'Geographic diversification of production has become a board-level concern after the Georgia studio disruption in 2024,' said Regulus Partners analyst David Briggs. 'Bucharest gives Evolution language depth, regulatory proximity to fast-growing markets, and a credible answer to operators asking about supply chain redundancy.' The company confirmed that a ninth European studio, location undisclosed, remains in planning for late 2027.