Bulgarian gaming association warns location rules could close 800 venues

Bulgaria's Association of Organisers of Games and Gambling Activities (AOGGAB) has asked for a revision of the rules governing the minimum distance of gaming halls and casinos from sensitive sites, warning that members are prepared to hold peaceful demonstrations if the authorities do not respond. The association made the request amid rising tension between operators and the government over the new provisions, according to the association.

The dispute centres on amendments to the gambling law approved in 2024, which strengthened a ban on gaming in halls and casinos located less than 300 metres from schools, kindergartens, universities and other sites identified by the rules. A subsequent draft legislative amendment, put out for consultation, would require operators already licensed to demonstrate compliance with the location requirements by 30 April 2027.

AOGGAB objects in particular to different treatment between types of establishment. The territorial limits apply to gaming halls and casinos but do not apply in the same way to physical betting collection points, a difference the operators say risks changing the balance of the market in favour of companies with betting shop networks. Georgi Petkov, a representative of the association, said that in some small towns the closure of a gaming hall is followed by the opening of three or four betting collection points.

The operators are asking for uniform rules for all land-based gambling activities and for greater guarantees on checks at betting points, in particular to prevent access by minors and by people entered in registers protecting vulnerable persons. They also contest the treatment of investments already made: according to the association, licence and investment costs for larger premises can reach about €1.3m, and some operators have bought multi-year authorisations, including 10-year ones, and risk having to stop operating early if the new provisions are applied to premises already licensed.

The association estimates that about 800 gaming halls could cease operating, with consequences for up to 20,000 workers, and that public revenue could fall by more than €400m. The association said these are its own assessments and no independent economic verification was available.

Talks with the institutions have already begun. Industry representatives met the deputy finance minister and said they were willing to accept further restrictions on gambling advertising and tax increases, on condition that the distance obligations are not applied retroactively to establishments that already hold licences. The association also raised the risk that part of demand could move to the illegal market, arguing that closing licensed venues could reduce the presence of premises subject to public checks.

The National Network for the Bulgarian Child has asked that the territorial restrictions also be extended to betting points, together with a further strengthening of advertising limits. The operators say they are willing to continue talks with the government but do not rule out protest action if their requests go unanswered.