Bulgaria opens consultation on gambling advertising ban and operator tax rises

Bulgaria's ruling Progressive Bulgaria party has opened public consultation on a Gambling Act overhaul that would impose a near-total ban on gambling advertising, alongside tax increases for online and retail operators. Prime Minister Roumen Radev's cabinet published the draft, and the consultation runs until 23 October, SBC News reports.

What the Bulgaria gambling advertising ban would cover

The draft prohibits advertising of gambling games, operators, their trademarks and distinctive signage regardless of type, method, place or distribution. It covers television, radio, print, outdoor, online, social media, apps and streaming services.

Two exceptions remain. Operators may use gambling messaging on their own websites and at land-based premises, limited to information about organising and taking part in games. Signage attached to casino buildings is also allowed, capped at 20% of the facade and 50m² in total, with at least 10% of the permitted area carrying the warning "Gambling carries a risk of developing addiction". Illuminated, moving or changing elements are banned.

Radev put the case in harm-reduction terms. "We do not wish gambling to be an everyday sight for Bulgarian citizens. We also reject aggressive marketing that reaches the youth and children," he said, according to GamblingNews. "The casino window lights are so bright and provocative that our cities and villages have started looking like Las Vegas. That's why we are banning them as well."

Sports sponsorship survives, with limits

Sponsorship deals with clubs, federations, associations, leagues and social events stay legal. Logos and trademarks may appear on kits, equipment, facilities, halls, stadiums and the sponsored entity's website, except on products intended for under-18s.

During broadcasts, digital overlays of gambling brands are prohibited. Brands may only appear organically through their placement on kits, stadiums or LED boards. The draft bars radio and TV advertising that mentions gambling brands, which follows the row over Bulgarian National Television's coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where bookmakers used primetime slots to advertise business partnership opportunities.

Radev acknowledged that the sponsorship exception was kept because of budget deficiencies, GamblingNews reported.

Affiliates, tax rises and real-time reporting

The proposal effectively ends Bulgaria's gambling affiliate sector. SBC News' report on the draft describes it as a complete turnaround, a month after the country introduced a new licensing path for affiliates. If enforced, all active affiliate licences terminate on 1 January 2027.

GamblingNews reported that all gambling machines would have to connect to the National Revenue Agency to report real-time data, a measure Radev called long overdue. The same outlet said the cabinet is preparing a tax increase affecting online and retail operators, with mechanisms to redirect part of the tax money towards sport and education.

In its report of 23 September, SBC News said Radev mentioned a potential increase in the base tax rate for online gambling operators, after gross gaming revenue levies already rose to 25% from 20% at the start of this year. Foreign operators licensed in Bulgaria would also have 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," Radev said, according to that report.

Opposition wants a full advertising shutdown

That 23 September report also covers the opposition's counter-proposal. We Continue the Change (PP) and Yes Bulgaria (DB) want a complete ban on outdoor gambling advertising and penalties of up to €150,000 for compliance failures. DB MP Bozhidar Bozhanov argued the 2024 Gambling Act changes, which his party backed, had not achieved the desired results and were constantly circumvented through loopholes. Both parties also seek a ban on gambling with cryptocurrencies and restrictions to keep under-18s out of sports betting bars, and called gambling "an epidemic" in their position. Their proposals did not make it into the 2026 budget.

The scope of the cabinet's plan is not settled. MP Stefan Belchev, chair of the Economic Policy Committee for Radev's party, told Bulgarian National Television that the measures being drafted were more likely to bring further advertising restrictions than a blanket ban, a position SBC News noted conflicted with the prime minister's description of a "practically full ban of gambling promotions".

Protesters against gambling advertising plan to gather on 25 September at Parliament Square in Sofia. The consultation stays open until 23 October, and approved texts then go to the National Assembly for a final vote.