Bulgaria’s Gambling Ad Reform Secures Initial Approval Amid Tax Adjustments
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers approved Radev’s reforms banning affiliate gambling promotion and restricting brand ads to narrow exceptions. Taxes convert to euros with gaming machine levies rising to €600 and tables to €13,000, plus scaled licence fees for land-based and online operators. The bill advances to commission review and Assembly readings.
SCCG Take — The swift affiliate reversal and novel payment clause raise compliance costs while compressing marketing reach for operators in both channels.
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers has approved Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s draft reforms to significantly limit gambling marketing. The approval reverses an August decision that created a licensing route for affiliates and now imposes an outright ban on their promotional activities.
Radev’s government, led by the Progressive Bulgaria party, first published the texts for public consultation in October. The measures would prohibit gambling brand promotion across all outdoor and indoor communication channels. Narrow exceptions remain for sports sponsors, land-based venues, operator websites, and public funding initiatives.
Advertising Restrictions Take Shape
The reforms ban all affiliates from promoting gambling, a swift policy reversal from the licensing framework introduced only months earlier. Brand advertising faces broad limits, with the source detailing only those specific carve-outs. A controversial clause also targets payment organisations facilitating gambling transactions, described as a novel step in European legislation.
Tax Conversion and Licence Fee Increases
The bill aligns with Bulgaria’s upcoming 2027 Budget vote, its second eurozone plan after adopting the Euro at the start of 2026. Lev-based charges convert at BGN 1 = €0.51. The tax for individual gaming machines would go up from BGN 800 (€400) to €600. Gaming tables would also be taxed at €13,000 instead of the previous rate of BGN 22,000 (€11,200).
Land-based licence fees now scale by city size and term. A five-year licence costs €75,000 in settlements up to 500,000 residents and €150,000 in larger cities including Sofia; both double for ten-year terms. Online betting platforms face €400,000 for five years, online casinos €300,000, again doubling for the longer duration.
According to SBC News, the draft next undergoes review by relevant Special Commissions before first and second readings in the National Assembly. Operators will track how these combined marketing curbs and fiscal changes settle into final law, particularly the payment clause and euro-aligned rates that tie directly to budget timing.
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