Bulgaria’s government wants to stop gambling advertising altogether. On 11 November 2026 the Council of Ministers approved a bill amending the Gambling Act in Decision No. 855/2026 and tabled it in the National Assembly the same day. It bans advertising of games, operators and their logos in any form or place, ends the business of affiliates, and raises the price of an online licence sharply. It is not law yet: parliamentary committees and then MPs still have to pass it.
What the ban covers
According to the bill’s notification to the European Commission (TRIS 2026/0536/BG, received 2 October), the ban covers the advertising and promotion of games of chance, of gambling operators and of their distinctive signs. Operators’ brands would only stay visible through sponsorship of sports clubs, federations and organisations, and through support for culture, healthcare and education, with extra limits on TV and online coverage of sponsored events. Advertising agencies could no longer sell gambling campaigns.
Affiliates lose their licences
The notification says affiliate operators “will cease their activities” and that their licences will be revoked as far as those activities promote gambling. The government frames this as closing the gap between the ad ban and the people who would otherwise do the promotion through partner programmes. The change would remove a whole licence category.
Higher fees and a payments levy
The money side is just as large. As reported by BGNES and Sega, the one-off fee to issue or maintain a five-year online betting licence rises to €400,000, and to €300,000 for casinos and for lottery and land-based sports betting; ten-year licences cost double. From 1 January 2028 a two-part state fee with a fixed monthly minimum and a variable share tied to stakes and payouts replaces the corporate “alternative tax”. For online betting the monthly minimum would be €100,000. Banks, payment institutions and e-money firms handling gambling payments would pay the state any fee they earn above 1.5% of a transaction’s value.
Key facts
Act: Bill amending the Gambling Act; Council of Ministers Decision No. 855/2026, 11 November 2026.
Status: tabled in the National Assembly on 11 November 2026; not yet passed.
EU notification: TRIS 2026/0536/BG, received 2 October 2026.
Online fees: €400,000 per five-year licence; minimum €100,000 a month from 2028; €60,000 social-responsibility contribution.
Foreign operators: place of business in Bulgaria, registered in BULSTAT before the licence certificate is issued.
Why it matters for GambleFi
Crypto casinos and iGaming token platforms grow mostly through affiliates, streamers and referral programmes, and this bill would make all of it illegal for gambling in Bulgaria, not just for unlicensed brands. A local place of business, a €100,000 monthly floor and a levy on payment firms raise the bar well above what offshore licences ask, much as Sweden and New Zealand are tightening entry. Offshore sites that already serve Bulgarians without a local licence would face a market where even legal rivals can’t advertise, which licensed operators warned would make legal and illegal sites harder to tell apart, according to xMATRIX; the government kept the ban anyway. The draft can still change in parliament. This is a news summary, not legal advice; see the GambleFi FAQ for how licensing works.