“A proposed bill in Bulgaria seeks to ban gambling advertisements across online, TV, radio, and print media, as well as on buildings. Authors Petkova and Tsonev aim to deter illegal gambling by imposing hefty fines and tightening regulations on slot machines. This legislative move follows Bulgaria’s heightened scrutiny of the gambling industry, including measures to combat money laundering and enforce responsible gambling practices.”
A invoice that would ban almost all forms of gambling advertising in Bulgaria turned into as soon as submitted the day gone by (24 April).
The invoice turned into as soon as collectively submitted by the GERB-UDF and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. It turned into as soon as introduced by Temenuzka Petkova and Yordan Tsonev.
The invoice objectives to amend Bulgaria’s Law on Playing. It proposes a ban on gambling adverts appearing online, on tv, on the radio and in print media. Ads would additionally no longer be allowed to seem on constructions.
If the invoice passes, adverts would simplest be shown on billboards more than 100 metres from faculties and on gaming halls and on line casino constructions.
Petkova and Tsoney additionally proposed a ban on gaining access to sites that host unlawful gambling, in addition to to blocking rate to those sites. For sites that facilitate unlawful gambling, Petkova and Tsonev stipulate a fine ranging between BGN50,000 (£21,900/€25,564/$27,419) to BGN200,000. This fine would additionally notice to companies that facilitate payments to unlawful gambling operators.
These who partake in unlawful gambling would additionally face a fine of between BGN500 and BGN2,000.
Effective ban on slots in less-populated areas
The invoice would additionally simplest permit slots and on line casino gambling in areas with a inhabitants over 5,000. Exceptions would notice to national inns and areas no more than 30m far from roads, railways and river crossings.
Earlier this month Romania’s parliament voted to implement a same proposal. In balloting in favour of Authorities Emergency Ordinance 82/2023, it placed a ban on slot machines in areas with a inhabitants of under 15,000. This effectively prohibited slot machines in rural areas.
Bulgaria’s invoice additionally proposes an amplify in the amount of capital that companies will deserve to have in converse to note for slot machine licences. The amplify would possibly perhaps presumably well well be to between BGN500,000 to BGN750,000.
How socially in cost funds are distributed would additionally switch, with half of the amount required to be donated by operators going to the ministry of effectively being for gambling addiction remedy programmes.
Legislation tightening up in Bulgaria
The transfer to ban gambling adverts in Bulgaria comes after the country has ramped up its focal level on the industry in the previous year. In January, its ministry of finance estimated that gambling would generate BGN200m for Bulgaria’s funds.
In August last year, Bulgaria’s National Earnings Agency (NRA) launched a novel money laundering unit to assign in power anti-money laundering necessities, similar to customer verification and transaction monitoring. The unit turned into as soon as established following stress from the Financial Motion Task Power, a money laundering watchdog.
Below Bulgaria’s Law on Playing, the NRA holds accountability for the monitoring of gambling advertising. The NRA took defend an eye fixed on after Bulgaria abolished the Remark Playing Fee in 2020.
Moreover in August, the NRA ordered operators to ban self-excluded employees from coming into casinos or gambling halls.
Source: iGamingBusiness
