Bulgaria - online gambling regulations

Country specifics

Bulgaria has a diverse gambling environment, with online gambling becoming more and more popular in recent years. Land-based and online casinos are legal in Bulgaria, and there are plenty of choices for gambling aficionados. Bulgarians love to gamble openly without many restrictions from their government. The country attracts punters from abroad, especially from places where gambling is still illegal, including Turkey and Israel.

Online gambling has been alive and popular in Bulgaria since 2002, when the first online casinos started popping up. Over the years, the online gambling industry has continued to grow from strength to strength as more and more players have flocked towards it due to its comfort and convenience.

The biggest problem online gambling operators have faced throughout the years was expanding and getting into the markets of different countries. Bulgaria is a country that has had a relatively interesting take on online gambling due to some recent corruption scandals. While most forms of gambling were banned for a time, the online gambling market was liberalised, but only to an extent.

Bulgaria has been in the news quite a few times in recent years due to changes in legislation on online gambling. In an attempt to fully understand their laws and regulations, we’ll be taking a look at their history and laws regarding gambling and online gambling, as well as any and all new developments related to the online casino industry.

History and laws on gambling in Bulgaria

As is the case with most Eastern European countries that fell under Soviet Rule before 1993, gambling was considered illegal in Bulgaria. Things changed in 1993 with the Government Decree that legalised all forms of gambling. Unfortunately, in the first years after that time, the regulations and oversight were poorly carried out, and the government was pushed to a point where it had to do something to regain control of the fast-growing gambling industry.

In 1999, they introduced The Gaming Law which was enacted to regain control over the industry, with legislation focused on regulating the industry. The law was created by Bulgaria’s State Commission for Gambling which was from this point on in charge of issuing licences to anyone wanting to operate within Bulgaria.

While online gambling has been around since 2002, it was only legalised in 2008 in Bulgaria. Again, the government took the time to legalise online gambling but did not enact adequate legislation to regulate the market successfully.

It was only in 2012, when the State Commission on Gambling passed the Gambling Act, that they properly covered all legislation regarding online gambling. The Act was put in place to control, regulate and maintain the market. It is the National Revenue Agency that does exactly that! With the Act, they applied a 15% restrictive tax for all licensed casino operators and blacklisted all unlicensed operators.

At this moment, the number of blocked casino sites is a little under 6,000! Recently, Bulgaria has cracked down even further on illegal casinos – the country took action and closed down over 2,500 unlicensed websites just in 2024. The list is regularly updated and available on NRA's website.

Later, the Bulgarian government gave in to protests against high tax tariffs and discontent over blacklisting, and in 2013, introduced the Gambling Reform Bill. This Bill led to more relaxed tax requirements, which now included a one-time licensing fee, as well as a 15% tax on the gross profits of all licensed companies.

There have been many disputes regarding some of the regulations within the country, so much so that the Council of Ministers decided to reduce the administrative burden that gambling operators had to bear when applying for licences within Bulgaria. This was implemented in 2017. As a result, gambling operators were put under less financial stress and less stress in providing the required documentation. The procedures for offering services and applying for licences were thus made a little easier.

At the beginning of 2020, Bulgaria took on reforming its gambling laws again as a result of a big corruption scandal with the State Commission on Gambling. Private lottery companies were banned due to millions lost in unpaid taxes. The latest changes to the legislation were announced in 2024, which makes it clear that Bulgaria is one of the countries heavily focused on maintaining law and order.

While online gambling is 100% legal in the country, operators are required to go through the legal procedure of getting licensed and approved by the government before they are allowed to approach Bulgarian gamblers. Any company that breaks the rules or attempts to reach players in Bulgaria without the required documentation will be added to the blacklist, and their site will be blocked in the country.

However, gambling advertising and responsible gambling initiatives have proven problematic for the country. Despite its detailed legal framework, Bulgaria continues to face difficulties effectively enforcing these measures.

The Gambling Act limits where and how gambling can be advertised—e.g., it bans gambling ads from public spaces, electronic media, and state property. However, in practice, gambling ads are widespread, and many have expressed frustration with the frequent bypass of the legal restrictions.

Similarly, Bulgaria's responsible gambling measures are comprehensive and strict on paper but face significant gaps in implementation. Operators are required to display addiction warnings and offer easy access to resources for safer gambling. This includes the NRA's Register of Vulnerable Persons, reinstated in 2022 to protect individuals from gambling harm by allowing self-exclusion from casinos.

However, there are many cases where operators have failed to comply with these safeguards (e.g., allowing people included in NRA's Register to take part in gambling activities). This has prompted talks about further tightening the country's regulations and better monitoring of their implementation. CasinoWow is following the developments closely and will update you if there are any changes.

Are online gambling winnings taxable in Bulgaria?

It is always fun to legally have the opportunity to play at the top online casinos without the fear of being caught or having to pay a price to do so. However, the question always remains whether or not you, as a player, are required to declare your winnings or pay tax on them.

For Bulgarian citizens, there is good news. Currently, the government does not tax gambling winnings or require players to declare them. Thus, you are free to take home your entire amount of winnings and spend it on whatever your heart desires.

For online casino operators, things aren’t so simple. Over the years there has been a lot of debate on the heavy taxation imposed on casino operators, and while things have relaxed a little bit, these operators are still required to pay 15% taxes on their gross annual revenue.

Is online gambling legal in Bulgaria?

The good news is that players have been legally allowed to participate in the act of online gambling since 2008. Over the years the government has done its best to get the proper laws and legislation in place to fully regulate and control the market.

Currently, Bulgaria has 25 licensed casino operators providing online services to Bulgarian punters. This means they offer players within the country a wide variety of games, including slot games, table games, live casino variants, and sports betting options.

The only thing you need to remember as a player within Bulgaria is to choose legal online casinos and make sure they are licensed legally by the SCG. This will only help you as a player not to get stuck along the way or run into trouble if the casino site is blacklisted, in which case your account may be frozen.

Our recommended and approved online casinos are licensed to operate within Bulgaria. These sites offer a wide gaming variety and superb customer support, as well as amazing bonuses to help you play longer with less.

Conclusion

While online gambling regulations in Bulgaria are moving in the right direction, the government still needs to do much more to fully control the changing industry. In an attempt to save money for the national budget, the government is still overlooking important aspects of the industry related to responsible gambling.

As we've covered, the State Commission for Gambling did not provide enough rules regarding playing responsibly. Thus, casinos licensed in Bulgaria are not required to follow compliance rules on deposit limits, self-exclusions, session limits, etc.

It’s a fact that online gambling is growing within the country, and we might see the next reforms targeting responsible gambling, anti-money laundering and taxation.