Bulgaria restricts gambling, gambling ads

The amendments to the Gambling Act were approved by 198 deputies in the 240-seat assembly, the parliament said on Tuesday.

They ban gambling ads in all broadcast and print media, including websites, on state-owned or municipally-owned property, and on sport equipment and sport products for the underaged. Billboards displaying gambling ads should be placed at a distance of no less than 300 metres from educational establishments and youth-oriented facilities.

In addition, gambling with slot machines and in casinos is restricted to settlements with a population exceeding 10,000 inhabitants. However, exceptions are made for national resorts and areas within 30 km of Bulgaria's border checkpoints.

Operators have a three-year period to align their activities with the new regulations.

The bill was surprisingly introduced last week by deputies of GERB, the largest parliamentary group, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which represents mainly Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish population, without an official explanation what prompted this move just days before parliament went into recess for Easter and ahead of the June 9 general elections and European Parliament vote.

Reacting to the amendments, several media groups warned that their revenue streams will decline sharply, threatening their independence.