Sofia has opened a four-track Gambling Act package after a year in which leftover advertising did not lift search demand.
On 23 September the Ministry of Finance published a draft amendment to the Gambling Act for public consultation through 23 October. The file is a proposal. It has not passed parliament.
The package splits into four tracks.
- Advertising would fall to a near-total ban, including bright and neon signs on casino and hall facades.
- Sponsorship would stay on professional sports kits and venues.
- Tax would move the land-based base toward monthly performance from 2028 and raise the online levy.
- Reporting would connect on-site equipment to the National Revenue Agency by 30 June 2027.
Licensed gambling advertising since 2012
Licensed gambling advertising has been legal since the Gambling Act took effect on 1 July 2012, first as name-and-mark notices. The 4 August 2020 amendment allowed licensed ads to mention bonuses, odds and free bets.
The 14 May 2024 rewrite then took television, radio, print and websites out of the mix. What remained was a 5% outdoor cap, venue facades and sports inventory.
In August, Blask Index in Bulgaria was 12.3% below a year earlier. The winter spike faded by spring.
CEB climbed across the same span. August 2026 printed $79.1M, up 8.7% year-over-year.
💡 Key point: leftover outdoor boards and sports kits did not keep the December spike. August Index sat 12.3% below a year earlier, while CEB printed $79.1M, up 8.7%.
Search cooled over the last year while the revenue baseline stayed above August 2025. The draft would now cut remaining visibility and add tax and reporting dates the 2024 media ban never set. The file has to clear consultation and the assembly.