Bulgaria to impose an almost total ban on gambling advertising, with sports sponsorship left as the exception

Bulgaria is set to introduce a near-complete ban on gambling advertising, while sports sponsorship will remain allowed. For operators and PSPs active in high-risk verticals, the bigger story is that the government is also planning a significant increase in the iGaming tax burden.

1. The headline measure is a фактически полный запрет on gambling ads in Bulgaria, with one clear carve-out: sports sponsorship. For operators, that means the marketing channel mix is about to get much narrower, and for payment providers it is another sign that the local market is moving toward tighter control of the sector.
2. The prime minister also said that a substantial increase in the tax on iGaming is planned. The source does not give the new rate or a timetable, so the only safe reading is that fiscal pressure is moving up at the same time as advertising access is moving down.
3. For high-risk businesses, those two measures usually travel together in practice: less visibility for customer acquisition, higher fixed cost on the regulatory side, and more pressure on margins. That is the bit PSPs, acquirers, and banking partners will care about first.