Bulgarian lawmakers have introduced a bill in the National Assembly to close all gaming halls in the country except for a limited number of integrated casino resorts near the borders. Under the proposed plan, a maximum of 10 resorts at five-star hotels within 2km of the borders will be allowed to operate. The aim is to close around 600 existing casinos and gambling halls by 2025. The bill is backed by Valeri Simeonov, a leader of the National Front for Salvation Party.
The Bulgarian Gambling Association (BGA) strongly opposes the plan, arguing that it will result in significant job losses, the closure of 75% of establishments, and negative consequences for the gaming sector, the state budget, and legal entities. BGA’s CEO, Angel Iribozov, believes that any changes to the legislation should be extensively discussed with all stakeholders to assess their potential impact.
Another gambling bill proposed by the GERB party suggests replacing the existing regulator with a new independent State Gambling Agency. The bill also aims to lift the prohibition on the state-owned Bulgarian Sport Totalisator offering online casino services.
The Bulgarian gambling sector has faced challenges, including the resignation of Alexander Georgiev as head of the State Gambling Commission (SCC) in February. Georgiev’s detention by the police was related to an ongoing investigation into gambling tycoon Vasil Bozhkov. Bozhkov, who was arrested in the UAE, is facing charges of tax fraud, attempted bribery, and organized crime. His Eurofootball business had its license suspended by the SCC in March.
In January, Simeonov introduced a bill to ban private lotteries in Bulgaria, aiming to establish a monopoly for the state-owned Sport Totalisator in this sector. This move prompted Kambi, a sportsbook solutions provider, to terminate its supply contract with National Lottery AD, the operator of 7777.bg.
Casinos in Bulgaria reopened in June after being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
