Located in the southeast of the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria is a country with a long history and a vibrant present day. The entire gambling industry in the country is strictly regulated by a series of laws and regulations, the main purpose of which is to make the entire process as fair and transparent as possible while protecting the participants. This paper aims to explore the particularities of legal framework of gambling in Bulgaria with a focus on Bulgaria bookmakers and sports betting.
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Table of Contents
Summary of Key Events
Gambling Laws in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has been legalising gambling since 1957 but appropriate regulation for the activity was not introduced until 1993. Currently, its main regulation is based on the Gambling Act of 2012 and changes that have been made to the law. Since beginning of 2021, regulation of the Bulgarian gaming industry was transferred from the State Commission of gambling to the National Revenue Agency.
The key points of the source concerning gambling legislation are as follows:
- 1957: The Bulgarian Sports Totalizator was formed, legalizing lotteries, sports betting as well as bingo.
- 1979: Vitosha, the first casino, in Bulgaria opened but it was solely open to tourists.
- 1993: Contemporary desires grew into modern legislation of gambling that started with licenses as well as combating against the financial evasion act.
- 2008: remote gambling was made legal.
- 2012: Comprehensive Gambling Act was enacted.
- 2021: The organization forming and constant regulation became National Revenue Agency.
Regulatory Agencies
The gambling activities in Bulgaria are regulated by the National Revenue Agency or NRA for short. The key authority for all gambling issues in the NRA lies with its Executive Director who approves, rejects, cancels, or suspends licenses. The NRA also regulates the production, supply, and maintenance of gambling equipment means.
Licensing and Fees
As for any gambling operations, operators working in Bulgaria must be licensed. The types of licenses and associated fees are as follows:
- General License: Such license is valid for 5 years with a possibility of further renewal in case investments exceed the amount of BGN 1,000,000.
- Casino License: For a term of 10 years if investments exceed the amount of BGN 3,000,000.
- Online Gambling License: Receive a validity for 10 years provided that investments will exceed the amount of BGN 2,000,000.
- Manufacturing and Distribution License: They are issued for a period of 10 years in case the investments exceed the amount of BGN 1 200 000.
- Import and Servicing License: For 10 years if investments are over BGN 400,000.
It is mandatory to have a license both for the establishments that offer gambling services on land and also for the online services. Annual licensing costs are €50,000 for a one-time license for online operators, besides which, there is an annual tax imposed at 20% of gross gaming receipts.
Taxes and Fees
The tax structure for Bulgaria bookmakers is as follows:
- Land-based Gambling Tax: 15% of the total of the bets made.
- Casino Equipment Fees: Spending on a roulette table will be BGN 22 000, for the other casino equipment – BGN 5000 and for the gaming machines – BGN 500.
Online Gambling Tax: This is in form of a commission standing at 20% on the gross gaming revenue.
Prohibited and Allowed Bets
Bulgaria has rather stringent rules concerning the kind of bets that can be made. Technically, most of the forms of sports betting and casino games are permitted, but there are certain rules that need to be followed so that there is no foul play and all the related unlawful activities. For example:
- Allowed Bets: Sports betting, gambling, lotteries, bingo, and casinos.
- Prohibited Bets: Some species of gambling and unlawful web-based chiefly betting sites.
Bulgaria Bookmakers and Sports Betting
Bulgaria has embraced the sports betting with many bookmakers available and providing a wide variety of betting options. The passion of the country in sports activities especially football, volleyball and tennis has boosted this buoyant market.
Legal Framework for Bookmakers
First, it is necessary to mention the legal requirements for the legalization of Bulgaria bookmakers, where strict conditions are set. Some of these are; getting the licenses, legal constraints on advertising, and taxation among others. New laws continue to restrict advertising and promotion of gambling and its links to other related industries and since the last legislative period favouring gambling advertisements has been changed, they are prohibited from most media sources other than billboards, social networks, and other sports facilities that do not involve children.
Sporting Event Glory Milestones
Bulgarian athletes have excelled in various disciplines and this explains why there is interest in sports betting in the nation. Here are some notable milestones:
- Football: Bulgarian national football team has many successes; some famous persons talented in this field included Dimitar Berbatov and Hristo Stoichkov.
- Volleyball: Volleyball has been one of the most popular disciplines in Bulgaria where football dominates and nationals such as Matey Kaziyski and Plamen Konstantinov.
- Tennis: He has turned Bulgarian tennis into an international elite player reaching the best rankings in the world and officially listed as number three.
Conclusion
In this paper, the gambling laws and regulations of Bulgaria have been presented, in an attempt to shed light on the measures that are in place to guarantee the fairness of gambling. These include licensing and specific taxation rules which are provided by the legislation of the National Revenue Agency, as well as strict procedures and limitations concerning advertising. With the Azeri government moving to expand the country’s gambling regulation, this segment is on the brink of development for the operators and enthusiasts in Bulgaria.
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