The National Revenue Agency (NRA) of Bulgaria, as part of an enforcement campaign launched in September this year, has restricted access to more than 150 unlicensed gambling sites.
The Department responsible for gambling supervision said that most of these illegal websites are licensed outside the European Union. The National Revenue Agency did not disclose details about the blocked sites, but noted that access to infringing domains will be suspended within three days.
In the event that the websites remain accessible beyond the deadline, the NRA will notify the Bulgarian High Court to order internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to them.
In 2023, the NRA stepped up its crackdown on illegal online gambling, introducing new anti-money laundering obligations and tightening requirements for licensed operators.
Following its audit of MONEYVAL in August, the NRA created a new division called “Prevention and Counter Action Against Money Laundering”, tasked with monitoring gambling operations and auditing the accounts of licensed operators.
In a subsequent notice, the NRA informed Bulgarian operators to migrate server protocols to “NIS ordnance” by October 1 in order to comply with its requirements.
The “Prevention and Counter Action Against Money Laundering” Act establishes the NRA as the authority responsible for overseeing all licensed gaming operators in the country.
Bulgaria emerged from two years of political deadlock in June as two-thirds of deputies elected Nikolay Denkov of the Change Party to form a government.
After four general elections in 18 months, political uncertainty has forced Bulgaria to postpone the introduction of the Euro as the member state’s new currency. The Denkov government has not yet approved the budget bill for 2023.
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