Is Bulgaria banning gambling advertising? It proposes to. On 11 November 2026 the Council of Ministers approved amendments to the Gambling Act (Decision No. 855) and submitted them to the National Assembly the same day, at 16:18, as bill No. 52-602-01-66. The bill would replace the current advertising rules with a near-total ban, end the affiliate licenses Bulgaria introduced in August 2026, and raise operator charges, including a €100,000 monthly minimum for online betting from 1 January 2027. It is a bill, not law: no adoption or promulgation had been published when we checked on 13 November 2026.
What is law today, and what is proposed
Bulgaria is not starting from an open market. Its 2024 amendments already restricted gambling advertising heavily, and since 1 August 2026 performance-based affiliates need their own NRA license, which we compared with Romania’s in Bulgaria’s affiliate license vs Romania’s Class 2. The current fees, capital requirements and process are in our Bulgaria gambling license guide.
The November bill is the parliamentary version of a package the government approved for consultation in September 2026. An earlier draft was notified to the European Commission as TRIS 2026/0536/BG (received 2 October 2026). Notification is a procedural step, not adoption or EU endorsement, and section numbers differ, so the references below are to the submitted text. If adopted as drafted, the law would enter into force on 1 January 2027, with the land-based variable fees deferred to 1 January 2028 (§80).
| Measure | Proposed start | Bill reference |
|---|---|---|
| New advertising ban (Article 10) | 1 January 2027 | §8 |
| Affiliate licenses terminated | 1 January 2027 | §77 |
| Online betting: €400,000 one-off fee, 21% variable fee, €100,000 monthly minimum | 1 January 2027 | §18, Art. 30(4) |
| Online betting variable fee rises to 22% | 1 January 2028 | §18, Art. 30(4) |
| Bulgarian place of business for existing online licensees | 30 June 2027 | §§5, 70 |
| Higher quarterly land-based taxes | 1 January 2027 | §75 |
| Land-based 20% variable fee with per-machine minimums | 1 January 2028 | §§18, 75, 80 |
| Automatic data link from gaming halls and casinos to the NRA | 30 June 2027 | §§27, 68 |
What the advertising ban would cover
Proposed Article 10 prohibits the advertising of gambling games, gambling organizers and their trademarks and distinctive signs, regardless of form, method or place of distribution. That is close to a total ban, but the bill keeps four exceptions:
- Necessary information on the operator’s own website and in licensed premises, to the extent needed to organize and take part in the games.
- Bulgarian Sports Totalizator broadcasts and draws, and announcements of their winnings.
- Façade signage at licensed venues for the operator of that venue, limited to 20% of the façade and no more than 50 square meters, with at least 10% of the area carrying the warning “Gambling carries a risk of addiction”. Illuminated panels and dynamic or moving content would be banned.
- Sponsorship displays on sports equipment, venues, stadiums and pools and on materials of sports federations and clubs, except equipment and products meant for minors.
Where an exception applies, only the operator’s registered trademark may be shown (and its company name at sponsored events). Licensed operators could sponsor licensed sports clubs and federations and events supporting culture, healthcare and education, and sponsored parties could show the trademark on their websites. Television and online coverage of sponsored sports events could not add digital or electronic sponsor branding beyond signage physically present at the venue. The Council for Electronic Media would refer media breaches to the NRA.
Affiliate licenses would end on 1 January 2027
Bulgaria’s affiliate license is barely three months old. The bill would delete the affiliate licensing provisions and terminate every affiliate license issued by the NRA from 1 January 2027 (§77). Paid promotion of gambling would then fall under the general advertising ban.
The bill would also let the NRA order the suspension or blocking of websites, mobile apps, social-media accounts and video or streaming channels that carry prohibited gambling advertising (§§1, 11). For operators, that removes affiliate marketing as an acquisition channel in Bulgaria. For publishers, any revenue tied to Bulgarian players would need to be reviewed before January.
One-off license fees
The bill moves the fees from leva to euro and raises them (§18, Article 30). Licenses issued by 31 December 2026 would not pay the new one-off amounts (§71); applications still pending on that date would follow the new law (§72).
| Activity | Proposed one-off fee |
|---|---|
| Online betting | €400,000 |
| Listed lottery, numbers and betting games (Article 30(3)) | €300,000 |
| Casino | €300,000 for 5 years; €600,000 for 10 years |
| Gaming hall in a settlement of up to 500,000 residents | €75,000 for 5 years; €150,000 for 10 years |
| Gaming hall in a settlement of more than 500,000 residents | €150,000 for 5 years; €300,000 for 10 years |
| Manufacture, distribution, servicing or import of gaming equipment | €50,000 for 5 years; €100,000 for 10 years |
Not every ten-year fee doubles: the five- and ten-year split appears only for casinos, gaming halls and equipment activities. For comparison, today’s online betting fee is BGN 400,000 one-off (about €204,517 at the fixed euro rate), so the proposal roughly doubles it.
The €100,000 online monthly minimum starts in 2027
Under proposed Article 30(4), online betting pays a two-part state fee: the €400,000 one-off fee and a variable part of:
- 21% of stakes received less winnings paid from 1 January 2027, and
- 22% from 1 January 2028,
- in both years not less than €100,000 a month per operator.
For games where the operator charges participation fees or commissions, the percentage applies to those fees instead. The €100,000 is a floor on the variable part, not an extra charge on top of the percentage, and it does not apply in months with no gambling activity (Article 30(16)). An operator active in all twelve months would pay at least €1.2 million a year, before the one-off fee, the social contribution and corporate taxes. The current variable fee is 20% with no monthly minimum.
The bill also lets operators keep part of the variable fee, 1% of stakes less winnings in 2027 and 2% from 2028, when they give that amount to licensed sports federations, registered sports clubs and the other recipients the bill lists (Article 30(12)).
Land-based taxes change in two steps
2027. The alternative tax under the Corporate Income Tax Act moves to euro and rises, payable quarterly: €600 per unit in the slot-machine category, €13,000 in the relevant roulette and casino-table category and €3,000 for other specified casino equipment (§75(1)). The unit and equipment classification decide the liability.
2028. The alternative tax for casinos and gaming halls would be repealed, and their variable state fee would become 20% of stakes less winnings, with monthly minimums of €200 per slot machine or gaming position, €4,500 per roulette or gaming table and €1,000 per other casino equipment item (§§18, 75(2), 80).
Local presence, data and social contributions
Place of business. A foreign online betting licensee would have to operate through a place of business in Bulgaria within the meaning of the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code, report revenue and expenses through it, and register it in BULSTAT before receiving the license certificate (proposed Article 6(6)–(7)). Existing online licensees would have until 30 June 2027; if they miss it, the NRA would permanently withdraw the license (§70). This goes further than appointing a local representative.
Data link. Proposed Article 42a requires gaming halls and casinos to transmit stakes and winnings data from their equipment to the NRA automatically. The implementing regulation is due by 31 March 2027 and compliance by 30 June 2027 (§§27, 68). It does not create a new reporting regime for online operators.
Social contributions. Annual social-responsibility contributions per license would be €60,000 for online betting, €20,000 for casinos and €10,000 for other games, shared equally among the ministries responsible for sport, health and education (§9).
Payment providers. Under proposed Article 31, a payment institution, bank or e-money company whose remuneration on a gambling payment exceeds 1.5% of the transaction would pay the excess to the state, with a monthly declaration by the 15th (§20). Charging more is not prohibited; the excess goes to the budget.
What operators and affiliates should do now
- Model the floor. An online operator should test its Bulgarian business at €100,000 a month in variable fees from January 2027, plus the €400,000 one-off fee if it is not licensed by 31 December 2026.
- Map affiliate exposure. Identify revenue, contracts and tracking that depend on Bulgarian affiliate traffic, and plan for its end on 1 January 2027.
- Review sponsorship and media. Check every sponsorship, broadcast and digital placement against the exceptions, including the ban on added digital branding in sports coverage.
- Plan the place of business. Foreign online licensees need a Bulgarian place of business and BULSTAT registration by 30 June 2027 to keep the license.
- Check payment pricing. Payment providers should model the 1.5% threshold on gambling transactions.
- Track the vote. Committee changes are likely. Plan on the submitted text, but act on the adopted one.
For regional comparisons, see our register of 25 licensing regimes, the ranking of licenses by year-one cost and our Romania Class 1 license guide. Romania’s own advertising, tax and supplier changes are covered in Romania’s gambling reforms in 2026, and the land-based distance rules in Bulgaria’s 300 m rule vs Romania’s municipal vetoes.
If the proposal affects a Bulgarian license, a market-entry plan or affiliate revenue, book a free 20-minute fit call through our contact page.