Bulgaria's government has opened public consultation on amendments to the Gambling Act. Prime Minister Roumen Radev said the changes would introduce a "practically full ban" on gambling advertising, though Stefan Belchev, a deputy from Radev's own Progressive Bulgaria party, had previously described the measures as additional restrictions rather than a total ban. The exact scope will be clear once the texts are published.
Radev outlined the reform's goals: transparency, fair taxation and harm minimisation. "We do not want gambling to be present in the daily lives of Bulgarians. We do not want aggressive marketing that reaches young people and children," the BTA news agency quoted him as saying. Advertising on sports kit and in stadiums remains permitted for now but may change. Bright neon signs outside land-based casinos will be banned.
Land-based operators must connect all equipment to National Revenue Agency systems for real-time data transmission. Radev also announced a rise in the baseline tax rate for online operators, which currently stands at 25% of GGR since the start of 2024, up from 20% previously. Foreign licensees serving the Bulgarian market must register financial activity in the country and pay tax locally.
Opposition parties are calling for stricter measures. Continue the Change (PP) and Yes, Bulgaria (DB) want a full ban on outdoor advertising and fines up to €150,000 for breaches. Bozhidar Bozhanov, a deputy from DB, said the 2024 changes had failed because operators were exploiting loopholes. DB is pushing to classify operator infotainment sites as circumvention of the law, following the Italian and Belgian model, ban crypto gambling outright, and bar under-18s from betting shops. Both parties describe gambling as an epidemic.
