Bulgaria Opens Consultation on Near-Total Gambling Ad Ban

^{Bulgaria's government has opened public consultation on draft amendments that would ban most gambling advertising nationwide. (Photo: Sofia, Bulgaria / Wikimedia Commons)}

Bulgaria's government has published draft amendments to the country's Gambling Act that would introduce a near-total ban on gambling advertising, opening the changes for public consultation on 23 September 2026. The consultation, hosted on the government's strategy.bg portal, runs until 23 October 2026.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the bill at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, telling officials that Bulgaria's 'towns and villages have come to look like Las Vegas' because of the volume of betting and casino advertising, according to reporting by BIRN's Balkan Insight.

What the Draft Bill Would Restrict

Under the proposed changes, billboards and posters promoting gambling would be banned outright, along with bright, flashing or illuminated signage and promotional window displays at casinos and gaming halls. Gambling logos and advertising would be permitted only on official club jerseys and inside sports halls, a narrower carve-out than the sport-sponsorship rules currently in force.

The draft follows an earlier attempt at a blanket advertising ban that was rejected by Bulgarian lawmakers in July 2026, when the previous version paired the advertising restriction with higher operator taxes. The new draft leaves the existing tax rate alone and instead targets specific advertising formats.

Rumen Radev, Bulgarian Prime Minister: 'We don't want gambling to have this everyday presence in the eyes of Bulgarian citizens. We don't want this aggressive way of advertising, which corrupts young people and children.'

Foreign Operators Face New Registration Rules

The bill would also require foreign operators licensed in Bulgaria to register their financial activities locally, so that tax payments and oversight apply to revenue generated in the country rather than routed through structures based elsewhere. Radev said a new taxation model is being developed to better reflect operators' real financial results, alongside stricter anti-money laundering and tax evasion checks, with a share of the additional online gambling tax revenue earmarked for sport and education.

Other European markets have moved on gambling advertising and sponsorship rules in recent years, and Bulgaria's proposal reflects a broader push across EU member states to tighten oversight of how gambling operators market to consumers, regardless of where those operators are licensed.

What Happens Next

The amendments are expected to pass comfortably, since Radev's Progressive Bulgaria holds a parliamentary majority following its election win in April 2026, and opposition parties have separately called for gambling law changes of their own. The consultation period gives operators, trade bodies and the public until 23 October 2026 to submit responses before the bill moves to parliament.

The full draft bill and consultation documents are published on Bulgaria's official strategy.bg public consultation portal.

If the amendments pass in their current form, Bulgaria would move closer to the stricter advertising regimes already in place in parts of Italy and Spain, where gambling marketing is heavily restricted outside licensed betting shops and casinos. Operators active in the Bulgarian market will need to review sponsorship deals with sports clubs and media partners well before the amendments reach parliament, given how narrow the proposed jersey-and-venue carve-out is compared with current practice.