Bulgarian MPs File Bill for Total Ban on Gambling Advertising

^{Members of Bulgaria's We Continue the Change party filed the advertising ban bill in the National Assembly on 6 September 2026. (Photo: TodorBozhinov / Wikimedia Commons)}

Members of parliament from Bulgaria's We Continue the Change party have filed a bill in the National Assembly proposing a total ban on gambling advertising, covering media, billboards and online platforms alike. The bill, submitted on 6 September 2026 by MPs including Asen Vasilev and Venko Sabrutev, would close gaps left by the country's 2024 advertising restrictions.

Bulgaria already prohibits gambling advertising in print and electronic media, including websites, under a law passed on 14 May 2024. Outdoor advertising was left largely untouched, and operators have continued running campaigns through billboards, social media and sponsored content, according to reporting by Bulgarian outlet Boulevard Bulgaria, which reviewed the bill's text.

What the Bill Would Change

The proposed law would extend the ban to television, radio, print, the internet, social media, billboards, building facades, electronic displays, public transport stops and vehicle branding. It would also outlaw sponsorship of media content, product placement and promotional SMS or email messages tied to gambling bonuses.

Two narrow exceptions remain. Broadcasts of the state-run Bulgarian Sports Totalizator's draw results would stay permitted, as would limited advertising on the facade of a licensed gambling venue itself. Sports uniforms could still carry an operator's logo, capped at 10 by 10 centimetres and restricted to adult-only kits.

Every permitted advertising format would need to carry the warning 'GAMBLING CARRIES A RISK OF DEVELOPING ADDICTION,' covering at least 10% of the advertisement in black text on a white background, according to the bill's text as reported by Epicenter.bg.

Enforcement and Penalties

The bill would give Bulgaria's National Revenue Agency (NAP) the power to order illegal advertising removed and to temporarily suspend access to online advertising services. Fines would range from €75,000 to €150,000, payable by both the gambling operator and whoever distributes the advertising content, Boulevard Bulgaria reported.

In the bill's explanatory notes, its authors said the changes were needed to fix 'deficits in the current Gambling Act that allow Bulgarian towns and cities to be overtaken by gambling and betting-shop advertising,' according to the outlet's account of the filing.

A Second Attempt After a July Rejection

The push follows a rejection in July 2026, when parliament declined a separate opposition bid to raise gambling taxes and impose a blanket advertising ban, with the government citing concerns about pushing more activity into the illegal market. Officials at the time acknowledged that only around 60% of the country's gambling activity runs through licensed channels.

Bulgaria's latest proposal lands as several European regulators tighten marketing rules for betting and gambling brands, including recent sponsorship restrictions in Belgium. Whether the new bill clears the same objections that sank July's attempt will depend on how the National Assembly's finance and culture committees respond once formal debate begins; no hearing date had been set at the time of filing.

The July debate also exposed gaps in how the existing 2024 rules are policed. Boulevard Bulgaria reported that Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria co-chair Bozhidar Bozhanov had pressed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev on whether NAP tracks online breaches of the current ban, after operators kept running sponsored posts on Facebook. Donev's written reply repeated the law's wording without giving figures on enforcement activity, according to the outlet.