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The government of Bulgaria has rejected the opposition’s proposals to amend the country’s gambling regulations by introducing a blanket ban on gambling ads and increasing gambling taxes.
Currently, Bulgaria imposes a 25% tax on gross gaming revenue and an additional 10% corporate tax. Despite the 60% channelization rate in the country, the government chose not to approve the plans of almost doubling the taxes and implementing strict advertising restrictions.
Deputy Finance Minister of Bulgaria, Lyudmila Petkova, stated that the proposed tax hikes could push players towards illegal gambling platforms even further; however, she also added that the ministry was in the process of creating a revised version of Bulgaria’s gambling legislation.
Minister Petkova commented:
“Yes, the proposal to increase taxes sounds very well, but any increase before taking measures to limit the grey sector means shifting players from the legal to the illegal market.”
Venko Sabutev, member of the We Continue the Change party, responded:
“How could you change the Labor Code through transitional and final provisions but not be able to change the Gambling Act and stop gambling advertising through the same mechanism? Enough with this hypocrisy.”
Opposition parties, including Democratic Bulgaria and We Continue the Change, criticized the decision, accusing the government of not taking enough action against the unregulated market.
