Bulgaria proposes blanket gambling ad ban, steep licence fees and tax hikes
Bill would ban advertising and affiliates, raise licence costs and impose new fees from 2027–28.
Key Takeaways
- The Council of Ministers approved the draft amendments on 11 November 2026 and submitted them to the National Assembly.
- Online betting licences would cost €400,000 for five years and €800,000 for ten years, with a €100,000 minimum monthly fee.
- The bill would ban gambling advertising and terminate affiliate licences from 1 January 2027.
- A variable online betting fee of 21% in 2027 and 22% from 2028 is proposed, subject to the €100,000 monthly minimum.
The Bulgarian government has submitted proposed amendments to the Gambling Act that would impose a nationwide ban on gambling advertising and affiliate marketing, raise licence fees and introduce higher taxes and new state fees for operators. The Council of Ministers approved the draft on 11 November 2026 and forwarded it to the National Assembly for parliamentary consideration. Online betting licences would cost €400,000 for five years or €800,000 for ten years, and a minimum monthly state fee of €100,000 would apply.
Licence fees and operator charges
The draft sets new licence prices and splits several categories by medium and term. Key figures in the proposal include:
Online betting: €400,000 for a five-year licence; €800,000 for a ten-year licence.
Lottery operators and land-based sports betting: €300,000 for five years; €600,000 for ten years.
Casino licences: €300,000 for five years; €600,000 for ten years.
Gaming halls: €75,000 for five-year licences in settlements with up to 500,000 residents; €150,000 in larger cities for five years.
Gaming equipment licences: €50,000 for five years; €100,000 for ten years.
The proposal also introduces a minimum monthly payment mechanism. For online betting the draft specifies a variable fee equal to 21% of bets minus winnings in 2027 and 22% from 2028, subject to a €100,000 minimum monthly payment.
Taxes and phased increases
The government plans interim increases to fixed taxes on machines and tables in 2027 and a reworked fee structure from 2028. The text maps the changes as follows:
From 2027, quarterly taxes on gaming machines rise from 800 leva to €600.
Gaming table taxes increase from 22,000 leva to €13,000.
Other gaming equipment tax becomes €3,000 instead of 5,000 leva.
From 2028 the proposal would replace the alternative casino and gaming hall tax with a two-part state fee and apply the variable online betting fee noted above.
Advertising, sponsorship and affiliates
The draft would extend Bulgaria’s existing 2024 restrictions into a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising across television, radio, print and online, covering gambling games, operators and their brands. Limited sponsorship exceptions would remain for sports clubs, federations, cultural projects, healthcare and education, but television and online coverage of sponsored events would face additional limits.
Affiliate marketing is targeted directly: the bill would terminate gambling affiliate operator licences from 1 January 2027, effectively prohibiting affiliate marketing that promotes betting products.
Financial controls and prevention levies
Foreign online gambling companies would be required to have a business establishment in Bulgaria to allow enhanced monitoring. Operators would need to connect their gaming systems to the National Revenue Agency so authorities can access betting, winnings and revenue data in real time or at specified intervals. The draft requires banks, electronic money companies and payment providers to remit any gambling transaction remuneration above 1.5% of the transaction value to the state budget.
Annual contributions to gambling addiction prevention would rise to €60,000 for online betting, €20,000 for casinos and €10,000 for other gambling activities. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education would split those funds equally to finance prevention programmes and public education.
Parliamentary examination and approval are required before any of these measures become law.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the proposed changes submitted to parliament?
The Council of Ministers approved the proposed amendments on 11 November 2026 and sent the draft to the National Assembly for examination and approval.
How much will an online betting licence cost under the proposal?
An online betting licence would cost €400,000 for five years and €800,000 for ten years, according to the draft legislation.
What is the proposal on gambling advertising and affiliates?
The draft would impose a nationwide ban on gambling advertising across media and terminate gambling affiliate operator licences from 1 January 2027, while allowing limited sponsorship exceptions with additional broadcast restrictions.
What new financial monitoring and payment rules does the bill introduce?
Operators would be required to connect gaming systems to the National Revenue Agency for real-time or periodic access to betting and revenue data, and any gambling transaction remuneration above 1.5% of the transaction value must be remitted to the state budget.
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About the author
Eleanor Whitfield
Regulatory Affairs Correspondent
Eleanor Whitfield tracks gambling legislation, licensing decisions, and regulator enforcement across key markets — from the UKGC, MGA, and Germany's GGL to Spain's DGOJ and the state-by-state map in the Americas. The reporting answers three questions precisely: what changed, where, and who it affects, with jurisdictions, effective dates, and penalty figures named exactly as published. Compliance officers and operators read Eleanor Whitfield to know which rulebook moved before their next board meeting.
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