Bulgaria has opened public consultation on draft amendments to its Gambling Act that would impose a broad gambling-advertising ban, raise operator charges and require far more direct reporting to the National Revenue Agency (NRA). Most provisions are proposed to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, although the package must still pass through the legislative process.
The proposal would prohibit advertising of gambling games, operators and their brands regardless of the medium or location. It would retain limited exceptions for information on operators’ own websites and licensed premises, lottery draw information, announcements of winnings, and branding at sports facilities. Sports sponsorship would remain possible under conditions, but not on products, materials or equipment intended for under-18s.
Rumen Radev described the push as a response to gambling harm and aggressive marketing aimed at young people. Existing rules already bar television and radio advertising by operators other than the National Lottery, but the new draft would reach more forms of promotion. Operators that breach the advertising restrictions would face penalties of €20,000 to €50,000, doubled for repeat offences.
The plans would also outlaw illuminated panels and venue displays with dynamic, moving or changing content. Radev said casino lights had made Bulgarian cities and villages look like Las Vegas, adding that gambling should not become an everyday sight.
There is a discrepancy in published accounts of the proposed limits on fixed façade signs. Novinite reported that the draft would cut the maximum from 20% of a façade and 50 square metres to 5% and 10 square metres. The Association of the Gaming Industry in Bulgaria, however, said the consultation text would allow signage of up to 20% and 50 square metres, provided addiction-risk warnings cover at least 10% of the advertising area. Both accounts agree that illuminated and dynamic displays would be prohibited.
A central enforcement measure would put casinos, gaming halls and online operators into closer technological contact with the NRA. Casino machines and other gaming equipment would automatically transmit data on deposits, stakes and winnings, while betting and payout information would increasingly be sent automatically rather than chiefly through operator reports. Radev called the machine-connectivity requirement long overdue.
The consultation text described by the industry association would require online operators’ central computer systems and communications equipment to be located in Bulgaria, with player deposits added to the real-time data stream. Gaming halls and casinos would need to connect through an approved system by June 30, 2027. The government has linked online gambling’s expansion to oversight, cybersecurity, money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks.
The scale of online betting has grown quickly. Total bets rose from BGN 44 billion in 2023 to BGN 55 billion in 2024 and about BGN 66 billion in 2025, an increase of roughly 50% over two years. These are betting-volume figures, not operator revenue or profit, since winnings can be returned and wagered again. The number of licensed online-betting companies has risen from seven in 2019 to 26.
The package would reshape licensing and state fees, though the two detailed accounts differ on some rates and land-based minimums. Novinite reported a unified one-off licensing charge plus a variable fee of 23% of wagers received less winnings, replacing a 20% rate for certain licences, alongside a non-reducible €100,000 monthly minimum for each online operator.
AGIB’s account of the draft instead specifies a €400,000 one-off fee for online betting, a variable rate of 21% in 2027 and 22% from 2028 on gross gaming revenue, and the same €100,000 monthly minimum except in months without gambling activity. It also describes a €300,000 one-off fee for specified lottery games and non-online betting, with equivalent 21% and 22% rates.
For casinos and gaming machines, AGIB said a 20% gross-gaming-revenue fee would begin in 2028, with minimum monthly payments of €200 per machine or gaming position, €4,500 per roulette or gaming table and €1,000 for other casino equipment. Novinite reported the same €200 machine minimum but higher proposed amounts of €5,000 per roulette table and €2,500 for other gaming items. The government also proposes to abolish the special gambling tax on slot-machine and casino activities, moving those profits into the standard corporate-tax regime.
Online licences would be available only to Bulgarian legal entities or foreign companies with a permanent establishment in Bulgaria. AGIB said existing online operators would have until June 30, 2027 to comply or face permanent licence revocation, while Novinite put the deadline at March 31, 2027. Radev said offshore businesses serving Bulgarian customers should pay their share of tax and that companies seeking profit in the country should be subject to Bulgarian law.
The draft also strengthens safeguards for people on the register of persons vulnerable to gambling, which contains nearly 54,000 names. The register is not a medical database and can be used by people who believe they have, or may develop, a gambling problem. Online operators that allow a registered person to gamble would face €10,000 to €20,000 per violation; venue managers could face fines of €2,500 to €10,000 or financial sanctions of €10,000 to €20,000. Gambling remains prohibited for under-18s.
Annual social-responsibility contributions would be denominated in euros while retaining their current numerical values, effectively roughly doubling the available funding. The money would be split equally among the youth and sports, health, and education and science ministries. Operators could also direct 1% of their variable fee in 2027 and 2% from 2028 to licensed Olympic sports federations and professional football clubs, subject to declaration to the NRA.
The bill was published on the consultation portal on Sept. 23 and is due to enter parliament, where its disputed details, provisions and implementation dates may yet be amended.
