Bulgaria Proposes Near-Total Ban on Gambling Advertising

Bulgaria's government on Sept. 23 proposed banning almost all gambling advertising, leaving sponsorship of sports kits and venues as the only promotion operators could still buy.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the plan at his weekly cabinet meeting, together with higher taxes on online gambling. The Ministry of Finance put the draft law out for public comment the same day.

The money involved is large. Bulgarians bet 66.9 billion lev ($39 billion) online in 2025, according to National Revenue Agency figures reported by Mediapool. Operators kept 1.6 billion lev ($933 million) of that after paying out winnings.

The Draft Bans Ads in Every Channel

The draft prohibits advertising of gambling games, operators and their trademarks regardless of form or place, according to multiple Bulgarian reports. Brightly lit signs in casino and gaming hall windows would also go. Radev said the country's towns and villages had come to look like Las Vegas.

Bulgaria already restricted TV, radio and online gambling ads in 2024. Opposition lawmakers say those rules are dodged and not enforced, and billboards and street posters grew after they took effect.

Whoever operates in the Bulgarian market and profits from it will report here, pay taxes here and be subject to full state control.

Radev said it at the same cabinet meeting, according to the government's statement.

Operators Face Higher Bills and Live Tax Checks

Foreign operators would have to register their finances in Bulgaria and pay tax there. Every gaming machine would report to the National Revenue Agency in real time. Part of the extra revenue would go to sports and education.

Online operators would owe at least €100,000 ($114,000) a month, whatever their results, according to multiple Bulgarian reports. Those reports give different figures for the new tax rate, so the final number depends on the published text.

Opposition parties proposed a similar ban before, but it did not make the 2026 budget. Comments on the draft close on Oct. 23, before the government can send the bill to parliament.

Treat gambling as entertainment you pay for. 18+, and if it stops feeling like entertainment, help exists at BeGambleAware and GamCare.