Bulgaria

EU jurisdictions rarely feel free for iGaming. The price of credibility is paperwork, constant oversight, and fees that can hurt if the business model is not tight. Bulgaria belongs exactly to that category. It is a regulated EU market with a clear certification route, but the rules and the authority are strict and demanding.

2WinPower breaks down how Bulgarian licensing works for remote gambling. Our experts explain what the regulator actually checks and where operators lose time and money. The goal is to help you plan the launch like a competitive business.

System and Legal Backbone

The Bulgarian framework expects a real operation with traceable funding, technical control, and continuous data flow to the state. The country tightened the screws in 2024 especially regarding marketing and service providers, so operators must be ready for a demanding application process. Media ads were heavily restricted, while ISPs and payment institutions were given clearer duties to cut off unregulated activity.

The key statute is the Bulgarian Gambling Act, which sets licensing rules, technical conditions, player protection obligations, and financial commitments. Many practical iGaming requirements are written directly into the law.

The main supervisor is the National Revenue Agency (NRA). Its Executive Director makes final decisions after inspections and checks, and the act also sets an appeal route through the Sofia Administrative Court.

The law treats gambling as a licensed activity with categories. A standard term is 5 years, while a 10-year period is linked to proven investment thresholds, which include a specific figure for online entertainment or games offered via other electronic means.

The usual commercial routes operators discuss:

• land-based formats (casinos, gambling halls, betting points) plus the equipment supply chain;
• remote bookmakers (sports and other events) through authorised online channels;
• iGaming content delivered through electronic communications (casino-style activities).

If your launch plan depends on mainstream media exposure, the jurisdiction will feel hostile. The May 2024 changes introduced a broad ban on gambling advertising across major channels, including television, radio, newspapers, and online media (websites included), with only limited exceptions in specific contexts.

Outdoor promotion also has distance rules from schools and similar locations, so even brand visibility in cities can become a placement puzzle. This is not a theoretical risk. If the funnel relies on public ad inventory, the legal environment can destroy the plan early, even when the licence is in hand.

Online Gambling

Remote operations in Bulgaria are built around control, auditability, and localisation. That means the regulator expects real-time visibility. The act also defines the technical perimeter for online betting, including the entrepreneur’s servers, software, and related systems. Data storage for Bulgarian play has localisation requirements and retention periods that extend beyond the end of the licence term.

Before the development moves to marketing or acquisition, the core stack must meet baseline conditions.

What items are repeatedly enforced in the legal text:

• a central computer system that can send data to the NRA in real time;
• remote access for NRA (and for SANS is also referenced in the same operational context);
• non-cash payments for online betting activity;
• user registration and identification as a structured process;
• mandatory information in Bulgarian on the website and in player-facing notices;
• testing and certification by a recognised laboratory before the launch.

On top of that, the 2024 amendments also pushed further into consumer safeguards. This included an expansion of the register of people barred from gambling and new obligations for online operators to implement measures that limit harmful behaviour. A separate NRA-facing “vulnerable persons” mechanism also exists in the regulator's public communication, making self-exclusion an operational obligation.

Costs and Financial Thresholds

Bulgaria is not a cheap entry point. The spending is split between the capital and ongoing public payments tied to activity.

Upfront Expectations

The 2024 reform increased the required paid-in capital for a gambling licence by 50%, from €255,000 to €383,000. Separately, the act links permit duration for online games to a predetermined level of €1 million. Operators should treat this figure as a planning minimum for serious applications, because it is explicitly stated as the threshold for the longer-term licence logic.

Online Betting Operating Duty

For sportsbook activities, Bulgaria uses a combination of a large fixed amount and a variable component. The act sets an annual fee of €205,000 and a 20% charge on the positive difference between wagers and winnings paid out. Reporting is mandatory, not optional. Declarations and payments follow specific deadlines (for example, the act references filing and fee by the 15th day of the next month in the relevant duty provisions).

Corporate Tax

Many business owners assume they will simply cover the income deduction as a normal tech company would. That assumption is incorrect in Bulgaria, because gambling operators are generally exempt from the standard corporate tax under the general guidance. Gaming-specific fiscal regimes are used instead.

Application Process

Bulgarian authorisation is procedural. Operators should expect checks, questions, and technical scrutiny.

The practical flow most serious applicants follow:

1. Company structure and representation. Set up an entity that matches the act’s eligibility logic, and appoint an authorised representative in Bulgaria when required for EU/EEA/Swiss entities.
2. Funding proof and clean ownership. Prepare evidence for the origin of capital and ownership transparency, because the act explicitly blocks licences where sources are unproven or where offshore structures appear.
3. Technical design, labs, and integration readiness. Build the reporting architecture early, as the law mandates a central system capable of transmitting the required information.
4. Application submission and inspections. Expect investigations and verification steps before the final conclusion.
5. Decision, register entry, and launch controls. The act states that once the proceedings are complete and facts are clarified, the Executive Director makes a decision within 14 days. In real life, getting to the clarification stage is where timelines stretch.

A refusal usually comes from preventable issues. The act clearly lists disqualifiers, and the authority uses them.

The failure triggers that appear directly in the legal logic:

• unproven source of funds;
• offshore-linked ownership structures;
• overdue public liabilities above €2,500 without proper security;
• past involvement in an entity with a permanently revoked licence;
• non-cooperation during requests for information.

Operators should not rely on future fixes when applying for a Bulgarian licence. If the authorities find the file weak, the safest outcome is a rejection.

Bulgaria is not passive about grey-market traffic. The NRA works with service providers, and the 2024 amendments explicitly tightened duties for ISPs and payment institutions to deny access and flows for unlicensed online gambling.

Public reporting from industry media has repeatedly cited large-scale blocking actions, including hundreds of domains within months and thousands over a year. Therefore, if you plan to enter without local approval, you should expect enforcement pressure rather than a quiet test period.

Opportunities and Challenges for Operators

Bulgaria offers real upside, but the market rewards preparation.

Benefits

A licensed operator can position itself as a compliant EU-facing brand with banking-friendly processes. The currency peg also reduces financial uncertainty for long-term duty payments. The enforcement stance against shadow competition can support regulated brands because the state actively pushes traffic toward licensed ventures.

Hardships

Marketing is the obvious pain point because broad media restrictions reduce easy reach and push brands into narrower acquisition strategies. Costs are the second barrier. A large fixed annual amount for online betting, plus a variable duty, means the model must survive low-margin months without any collapses. Operational control is the third issue. Real-time style reporting, technical audits, and consumer protection measures make this jurisdiction unsuitable for minimum effort launches.

The Main Things About an iGaming Licence in Bulgaria

The popular gambling jurisdiction can deliver EU credibility, but it demands a serious compliance build and a realistic budget. At the same time, Bulgaria hardly supports broad advertising and light reporting, so operators should be prepared for these and more challenges.

Key points to keep in mind:

• High entry requirements, including increased paid-in capital and strong funding expectations.
• Online betting duty combines a large fixed annual payment with a 20% variable component.
• Advertising restrictions after the 2024 amendments limit mainstream acquisition options.
• Regulator enforcement includes blocking unlicensed websites and restricting payment flows.