Bulgarian Party We Continue the Change Proposes Full Gambling Advertising Ban to Seal Legislative Loopholes
TL;DR — We Continue the Change proposes a total outdoor ad ban except at venues, 10x10cm kit logo limits, product placement prohibition and 10% harm messages in black on white. This follows 2024 rules that banned TV/social ads and restricted billboards 300m from schools, after World Cup branding controversies on BNT and league sponsorships. The party seeks EU-level platform self-regulation modeled on political ad bans.
SCCG Take — Bulgarian operators must now prepare for sharply reduced sponsorship and branding options if the proposal advances. Regulators gain a test case on whether stricter visibility rules actually curb exposure or simply shift activity to unregulated channels.
Bulgaria’s We Continue the Change party has proposed a full ban on gambling advertising to close remaining loopholes after the biggest overhaul in decades in 2024. The centrist formation, long critical of the sector, wants tighter limits on outdoor ads, sports sponsorship visibility, product placement and harm messaging. The call follows public backlash over operator branding during World Cup coverage on national television.
Recent airings on Bulgarian National Television featured promotions by operators inbet, Efbet and 8888. Although framed around franchising and shop partnerships rather than direct consumer offers, the heavy prime-time exposure of their brands drew criticism. Major competitions including the Efbet League, MrBit Second League, Sesame Cup and Betano’s role as official betting partner for the tournament added to the controversy, as league names must incorporate sponsors.
Existing Rules and Recent Controversies
Bulgaria tightened gambling rules significantly in 2024. Bonuses and incentives were barred from marketing materials. Outdoor advertising was restricted to billboards at least 300 metres from schools. Ads were prohibited entirely on television, social media, radio and in print. Despite these steps, the government rejected an earlier push by the party in July, with Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova citing a pending full review of the Gambling Act that later introduced affiliate licensing.
Details of the Proposed Ban
The new draft, reported by the Bulgarian National Radio, calls for a complete outdoor advertising prohibition except at land-based venues. Logos on adult sports kits would be capped at 10x10cm. Product placement would be banned across all media. Mandatory harm messages must cover no less than 10% of any permitted advert, using black letters on a white background. Current rules already require such messages, yet some operators have obscured them on billboards.
We Continue the Change Chairman Assen Vassilev added: “We need to seal off the legislative loopholes, such as product placement not being treated as advertising. This is an obvious loophole that is being utilised. This also goes for the branding of gambling operators not being treated as advertising when you add ‘League’ at the end of it. When it comes to online advertising, we have a very good example. Currently, the European Union forbids any type of political advertising across all social media, which has led to companies like Facebook and Google to self-regulate in order to remain compliant. Let’s start working in that direction. We’ve spoken to our European MPs about implementing such an EU-wide measure for gambling as well, so that neither Facebook nor Google can allow online marketing when the user is located in a Member State.”
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, who previously worked with LiveScoreBet, JBO and Betfair, recently acknowledged his own past billboard campaigns. He stated: “There were billboards with my likeness everywhere. At the time, I had slightly fallen asleep in my own bubble and didn’t realise that what I had done was actually a mistake.” Berbatov added he underestimated his social responsibility toward young people.
As first reported by SBC News, the proposal reflects ongoing political pressure to narrow any remaining marketing avenues after the 2024 changes. Operators face further constraints on sponsorship visibility and branding tactics that have persisted through sports partnerships.
Reporting: SBC News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Bulgaria's advertising door is closing fast — if this passes, brand visibility vanishes except inside venues and tiny kit patches.
We're watching Bulgaria closely because this is the next iteration of Europe's advertising squeeze — not incremental tweaks but a near-total shutdown of outdoor, sponsorship, and product placement. If this model spreads, operators across Europe will need to rebuild acquisition from scratch, relying on owned channels, data, and direct customer relationships instead of mass visibility.
- Total outdoor ad ban except at venues; sports kit logos capped at 10×10cm
- Follows 2024 crackdown that already barred TV, social, radio, and print ads
- Proposed after World Cup branding controversies involving Efbet, inbet, 8888, and league sponsorships
SCCG angle: SCCG helps operators facing advertising blackouts pivot to compliant direct engagement — leveraging our European regulatory network and media partners to structure ambassador programs, owned content, CRM buildouts, and venue activations that keep brands visible without tripping new rules.
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