Bulgaria Online Casino Law 2026: Is It Legal?

Published by Casino News Daily editorial teamReviewed byFilip RadulovicOur editorial approach

Bulgaria licenses gambling, including online casino games and online betting, under the Gambling Act of 2012, and supervision rests with the National Revenue Agency (NRA). Lottery games are largely reserved to the state. Licensed private operators may offer online casino games, betting and card games. Unlicensed websites are blocked. Since 2024 Bulgaria has had one of the strictest regimes on gambling advertising in the EU, and in 2026 the tax on online gambling revenue rose from 20% to 25%. This guide summarises the framework, enforcement, taxation and player protection, and flags the points on which official sources could not be checked.

Key points

The governing statute is the Gambling Act, promulgated in State Gazette No. 26 of 30 March 2012, as amended.
The National Revenue Agency (NRA) is the competent authority for licensing and supervision.
Online casino games, betting and card games may be offered by licensed operators. Most lottery games are a state monopoly.
Amendments in 2024 banned gambling advertising on television, radio, in print and online, with narrow exceptions, and extended the national exclusion register.
According to iGaming Business, the tax on online gambling gross gaming revenue was raised from 20% to 25% in 2026. In July 2026 Parliament rejected opposition proposals for a further rise and a blanket advertising ban.

Regional overview: Gambling laws in the EU and the rest of Europe puts all 55 countries and territories on one map, grouped by how they regulate gambling.

Last reviewed: 5 October 2026.

Overview

Bulgaria regulates gambling through a licensing model with a state-reserved segment. In practice, this means that:

private companies may obtain licences for casinos, gaming halls, betting and online gambling if they meet the statutory conditions;
lottery games are reserved to the state, with limited exceptions such as raffles and bingo.

A “monopoly” in this sense is an activity that the law reserves to one state-designated entity, so that no private licence is available. “Licensing” means that any company meeting the legal requirements may apply.

The legal market is relatively small compared with estimates of unlicensed play. In October 2024 iGaming Business reported that 15 licensed operators were active. It cited an industry estimate that unlicensed operators accounted for 87% of gross gaming revenue in 2023 and 91% in the first half of 2024. In money terms, the same estimate put unlicensed gross gaming revenue at about EUR 3.8 billion in 2023, against EUR 562 million for the regulated market. These figures are industry estimates, not official statistics. A later iGaming Business report from July 2026 gave a channelisation rate of about 60%. “Channelisation” is the share of gambling activity that takes place with licensed operators. The difference between these estimates shows how uncertain measurements of the unlicensed market are.

Legal framework

Illustrated Bulgaria landmarks with reference books and documents for the relevant legislation section

According to CMS’s guide to Bulgarian gambling law, the Gambling Act (Закон за хазарта) was promulgated in State Gazette No. 26 of 30 March 2012 and has been amended many times since. It governs:

the conditions and procedures for organising gambling games and related activities;
the issue, extension, amendment and revocation of licences;
the obligations of operators, including where data must be stored;
the advertising of gambling;
the blocking of unlicensed websites.

CMS records the National Revenue Agency as the regulator. Corporate taxation of gambling operators is also governed by Bulgaria’s general tax legislation.

EU law context

Bulgaria has been an EU member state since 2007. There is no EU legislation specific to gambling services. The European Commission notes that member states may choose their own regulatory model and that “no particular system is favoured over the others”. Restrictions must still comply with the Treaty freedoms as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In Sporting Odds (C-3/17, 2018), the Court accepted that a state may keep some games, such as lotteries, as a monopoly while licensing others, provided the system pursues legitimate aims consistently. In Unibet International (C-49/16, 2017), it held that licensing conditions must be transparent and non-discriminatory. In 2017 the Commission closed its infringement procedures and the handling of complaints in the gambling sector.

Regulator and licensing model

The NRA is the regulatory authority for gambling. CMS describes the following licence categories and minimum capital requirements:

Activity	Minimum capital (per CMS)
Gaming casinos	BGN 1,500,000
Online betting games	BGN 1,500,000
Slot machine halls	BGN 750,000
Lottery games	State monopoly, except raffles and bingo

CMS notes that a licence to organise gambling games may be granted for five or ten years. For online betting, all data relating to the provision of gambling services must be stored in Bulgaria. iGaming Business reported that, at the end of 2023, the licence fee for new online sports betting entrants rose from BGN 100,000 to BGN 400,000. It also reported that in May 2024 the paid-in capital requirement for licences rose from BGN 500,000 to BGN 750,000. Amounts are given in leva (BGN), as in the sources.

We could not access the NRA website when this page was reviewed. Readers should check an operator’s current status in the NRA’s registers directly (see the listings section below).

Online gambling

Checking gambling legislation and licensing

According to CMS’s 2023 guide to online gambling in Bulgaria, licensed operators may offer online betting, sports betting, card games and casino games, as well as lotteries other than instant lottery games. Operators need a Bulgarian licence. A licence from another EU state is not enough.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators relies mainly on website blocking. CMS’s 2023 guide reported that “Bulgarian gambling legislation provides for unlicensed websites to be blocked” and that over 6,000 websites had been blocked. It added that, at that time, no other enforcement action had been taken against unlicensed operators. In this context, blocking means that internet providers must prevent access to listed domains.

Advertising

Bulgaria tightened its advertising rules sharply in 2024. As reported by iGaming Business and summarised by CMS, the current rules:

ban gambling advertising on television, radio, in printed media and in electronic media and websites. iGaming Business reports an exception for the state-owned Bulgarian Sports Totalisator;
allow billboards only at least 300 metres from schools, universities and playgrounds, with at least 10% of the space used for a warning about the dangers of gambling;
limit advertising on buildings to 50 square metres or 20% of the facade;
prohibit advertising aimed at minors or persons placed under judicial disability, and unsolicited electronic messages;
require the warning text “Gambling poses a risk of developing addiction”.

iGaming Business dates the start of these restrictions to 30 April 2024 in its 2026 report, and to measures introduced in May 2024 in its October 2024 analysis. In its July 2026 report, iGaming Business quoted a licensed operator’s October 2024 statement that its revenue fell by 20% in the two months after the advertising ban took effect. The same package barred land-based gambling venues in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, with a three-year deadline for existing venues to close.

Position of players

The sources available to us describe the obligations of operators and the blocking of unlicensed websites. They do not describe penalties for players who use unlicensed websites, and we found no record of players being prosecuted. Because we could not consult the NRA’s guidance or the text of the Act directly, this point should be treated as unverified rather than as confirmation that playing on unlicensed websites is lawful.

Players should also be aware of the practical position. A player using an unlicensed operator is outside the NRA’s supervision and the national exclusion register, which apply only to licensed operators. We could not confirm from official sources how gambling winnings are treated for personal income tax.

Taxation of operators

Taxation of online gambling has risen in recent years:

Online gambling revenue tax. CMS describes online betting and similar games as subject to an annual fee of BGN 400,000 plus 20% of the positive difference between stakes and winnings paid. iGaming Business reported in July 2026 that the online gambling tax had been increased earlier in 2026 from 20% to 25% of gross gaming revenue, with corporate income tax of 10% payable in addition.
Online tournaments. CMS notes a 20% charge on fees collected from online gambling tournaments.
Corporate tax. CMS states that online casino activity is subject to Bulgaria’s standard 10% corporate tax.

In the July 2026 parliamentary debate, the governing majority rejected opposition proposals to almost double operator fees and taxes. Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova warned that further increases risked “shifting players from the legal to the illegal market” if the grey market was not tackled first.

Consumer protection and responsible gambling

Secure account login with a padlock and shield Bulgaria has a national register of persons excluded from gambling. According to iGaming Business, the 2024 amendments extended the register to recipients of social welfare support, so that inclusion in the register effectively bars them from gambling. Advertising must carry the statutory addiction warning set out above. iGaming Business has also reported that the NRA increased self-exclusion periods to one year. We could not confirm the details of this change against the NRA’s own publications.

At EU level, Commission Recommendation 2014/478/EU sets out non-binding principles for online gambling: registration and age verification, self-exclusion, spending limits and responsible advertising. We were unable to verify the details of Bulgaria’s self-exclusion procedure or a national helpline from official sources when this page was reviewed. Readers seeking help can consult the NRA or a medical professional, and our responsible gambling guide gives general advice.

Recent and upcoming developments

2024 reform. A near-total ban on media advertising, restrictions on billboards and building advertising, an extended exclusion register, higher capital requirements and a ban on venues in small towns.
2026 tax increase. The tax on online gambling gross gaming revenue rose from 20% to 25% (iGaming Business, July 2026).
July 2026 debate. Parliament rejected opposition proposals for a blanket advertising ban and a near-doubling of taxes. The government argued that the illegal market should be addressed first.
Legislative revision. In the July 2026 debate the Deputy Finance Minister said that the Ministry of Finance was preparing a comprehensive revision of Bulgaria’s gambling legislation. The governing majority approved only a minor additional tax on a specific niche. No draft of the wider revision had been published in the sources reviewed.
Sport integrity. In March 2026 iGaming Business reported that the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) planned to tighten its statute. The changes would create a clear prohibition on betting or gambling related to football by players, coaches, club officials and associated persons, and would centralise betting and data rights in the BFU. The proposal was due for a vote at a BFU plenary meeting on 20 March 2026. It followed sanctions in September 2025 against dozens of players and coaches found to have bet on matches in the 2024/25 season, after joint operations by the BFU and state agencies.

Sources and further reading

CMS (Savov, V., Radlova, N. and Tanova, A.), Gambling laws in Bulgaria (accessed 5 October 2026).
CMS (Savov, V., Radlova, N. and Tanova, A.), Online gambling regulation in Bulgaria (2023).
iGaming Business, Bulgaria rejects opposition gambling ad blanket ban and tax hike proposals (2026).
iGaming Business, Could Bulgaria’s advertising ban lead to an exodus of operators? (2024).
iGaming Business, Bulgarian Football Union tightens sports betting rules in revised 2026 statute (2026).
Court of Justice of the European Union, Sporting Odds Ltd, C-3/17 (2018).
Court of Justice of the European Union, Unibet International Ltd, C-49/16 (2017).
European Commission, Commission closes infringement procedures and complaints in the gambling sector (2017).
European Commission, Gambling (accessed 5 October 2026).
European Commission, Recommendation 2014/478/EU on principles for the protection of consumers and players of online gambling services (2014).

Casino listings for players in Bulgaria

The listings below are generated automatically from our casino database. They do not show that an operator holds a Bulgarian licence. Only operators licensed by the National Revenue Agency may lawfully offer online gambling to players in Bulgaria. Please check the operator in the NRA’s official registers under the Gambling Act.