Bulgaria’s ruling party is putting amendments to the Gambling Act up for public consultation, proposing additional restrictions on gambling advertising.
Speaking at the latest Council of Ministers meeting, Prime Minister Roumen Radev told journalists that the amendments provide for a “practically full ban on gambling promotions”.
This somewhat contradicts a statement made days earlier by MP Stefan Belchev, who is a member of Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party and Chair of the Economic Policy Committee.
He reportedly told the Bulgarian National Television that the measures being drafted are more likely to bring further advertising restrictions than introduce a blanket ban.
“We want to introduce a new, far stricter model for regulatory control over the sector,” Radev was quoted as saying by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA). “The goal is more transparency, fairer taxation and most importantly, minimisation of gambling harm.
“The first major change will focus on advertising. We don’t want gambling to be present in the everyday life of Bulgarian citizens. We don’t want aggressive marketing, which reaches young people and children.”
For context, the Council of Ministers has the constitutional right to introduce new bills. Meetings are conducted to debate, vote on, and approve draft legislations before it is brought to the National Assembly for a final vote.
Radev’s cabinet will reportedly maintain gambling operators’ right to advertise on sports kits and sporting grounds, but this remains subject to change based on the final consultation texts.
During his speech, the PM also added that the draft will look to prohibit building-adjacent bright and neon signage used by land-based casinos and gambling halls.
Venues will also need to connect all active on-site equipment to the National Revenue Agency’s systems to report real-time data. “Something that needed to be done a long time ago,” Radev said.
Radev also mentioned changes to how the gambling sector is taxed. The proposals will include stronger anti-money laundering regulations and mechanisms to prevent tax evasion.
According to the BTA, Radev mentioned a potential increase in the base tax rate for online gambling operators, with GGR levies already rising to 25% at the start of this year from the previous rate of 20%. The new tax structure, Radev added, will allow for new pathways to fund sports and education.
Foreign operators licensed to operate in Bulgaria and generate revenue from local activities will also be required to register their financial activity in the country.
“Whoever operates on the Bulgarian market and profits from it will report their activity here, pay taxes here, and be subject to the full control of the Bulgarian state,” the PM said.
The government has also said it will bundle fast-loan changes with its draft gambling reforms aimed at reducing problem gambling.
Opposition calls for complete ad shutdown
Members of the We Continue the Change (PP) and Yes Bulgaria (DB) opposition parties have instead called for much stricter gambling reforms, including a full ban on outdoor gambling advertising and penalties of up to €150,000 for compliance failures.
DB MP Bozhidar Bozhanov argued that the Gambling Act changes introduced in 2024, of which both PP and DB were part, had not achieved the desired results and were constantly being circumvented through loopholes.
Under the opposition’s proposed texts, online advertisements will also be heavily restricted.
Interestingly, DB’s proposal specifically outlined that infotainment websites owned by gambling operators need to be viewed as circumventing the legal framework. Such websites have become prominent across other European countries where advertising is heavily restricted, such as Italy and Belgium.
DB and PP are also seeking a complete ban on gambling with cryptocurrencies, as well as new restrictions to ban under-18s from entering sports betting bars.
Both former coalition partners went as far as calling gambling “an epidemic” in their position.
Protesters against gambling advertisements will gather on 25 September at the Parliament Square in Sofia.
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