Bulgaria proposes near-total ban on gambling advertising, casino facade lights, and new tax hikes

Bulgaria’s government is preparing a broad rewrite of gambling rules that would hit marketing, land-based venues, and online tax treatment at the same time. For PSPs, operators, and acquiring partners, the interesting part is not the rhetoric — it is the combination of ad restrictions, tighter reporting, and higher fiscal pressure in one package.

1. The planned amendments to the Gambling Act would introduce an almost complete ban on gambling advertising. The main exception would be sports sponsorship visibility, including branding on team kits and sports facilities.
2. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the government will open a consultation on the measures and link them to new criminal penalties for customs violations. He framed the reform package as a way to increase transparency, improve taxation, and curb gambling addiction.
3. The draft changes would also ban illuminated casino and gaming hall facades. The government says these displays have become too prominent across towns and cities, and Radev compared the effect to “Las Vegas.”
4. Taxation for land-based gambling venues would be overhauled so casinos and gaming halls are taxed based on their actual financial performance. The package also includes enhanced safeguards against money laundering and tax avoidance, plus a requirement for all gaming equipment to connect to the National Revenue Agency in real time for continuous monitoring.
5. Online gambling operators could face another tax increase after the GGR (gross gaming revenue) tax rose from 20 to 25 per cent earlier in the year. The government also plans mechanisms to direct part of gambling-related revenue toward sport and education, and foreign gambling companies seeking licences in Bulgaria would have to formally register their operations in the country.

For high-risk operators, the key takeaway is that Bulgaria is moving toward a much tighter onshore control model: less advertising, more real-time visibility, higher taxes, and less room for operating through a thin local footprint. If you serve this market, compliance and local registration are no longer side issues; they are the business model.