Evolution Opens Bucharest Studio as Romanian Live Dealer Demand Surges
Evolution has officially launched its first live casino studio in Romania, creating over 700 local jobs and adding Romanian-language tables to its European network. The Bucharest facility marks the supplier's eleventh production hub and reflects accelerating demand from ONJN-licensed operators.
Evolution has inaugurated its newest live dealer production facility in Bucharest, becoming the first major live casino supplier to operate a dedicated Romanian-language studio. The 6,000-square-metre site in the Pipera business district will host more than 40 tables at launch, including localised versions of Lightning Roulette, Crazy Time, and a suite of Romanian-speaking blackjack and baccarat tables. The company confirmed it has recruited approximately 720 staff for the opening phase, with plans to scale to 1,100 employees by mid-2027.
The launch comes as Romania's regulated online gambling market continues to expand under ONJN oversight, with live casino gross gaming revenue growing an estimated 28% year-on-year in 2026. Chief Executive Martin Carlesund said the studio was a direct response to operator requests for native-language content, noting that Romanian players had previously been served primarily through English-language or dubbed feeds broadcast from Latvia and Malta. Superbet, Betano, and NetBet are among the first operators confirmed to integrate the new tables into their Romanian-facing platforms.
The Bucharest investment also signals a broader strategic shift for Evolution following a turbulent 2025 in which the supplier faced scrutiny over studio geography and compliance in grey markets. By expanding its regulated-market footprint, the company is positioning itself to reassure institutional investors ahead of its Q4 earnings report scheduled for early November. Romania joins Evolution's existing European studios in Latvia, Malta, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Georgia, Czechia, Bulgaria, Armenia, and Serbia.
Industry analysts at Regulus Partners described the move as 'overdue but strategically sound,' pointing to the maturation of Romania as one of Southeastern Europe's most lucrative regulated verticals. With ONJN preparing a revised technical standards framework expected in Q1 2027, local production capability may also offer Evolution a compliance advantage over suppliers streaming from outside EU jurisdictions.