Bulgaria: gambling self exclusions reach 24,000 in first year

The self-exclusion scheme was launched in December 2022.

Bulgaria.- The National Revenue Agency (NRA), which regulates gambling in Bulgaria, has reported that over 24,000 people have registered with the national gambling self-exclusion scheme after it was relaunched in December last year.

The system had been halted amid the regulatory changes that gave the NRA the responsibility for overseeing the gambling sector in 2020. Access to the register is limited to certain employees, but gambling operators can request access in order to monitor their customer base and identify players who have self-excluded. Anyone can sign up to the register for a minimum of two years either at an NRA office or online.

In August, the NRA confirmed that people who have self-excluded from gambling cannot work in casinos or gaming halls. Employers that breach the rule could be fined up to BGN20,000 (€10,000).

The NRA said it had received inquiries from operators about whether they can hire people who are registered on the country’s gambling self-exclusion register. The agency confirmed that the Gambling Act bans those who have self-excluded from entering gaming venues, irrespective of whether it is to work or to gamble.

The NRA has recently added an API-based service through which operators can exchange data with the regulator in real time. 

In September, the NRA announced that it had blocked access to over 150 gambling websites. The action was taken as part of an enforcement campaign against unlicensed activity. The tax regulator, which took over gambling regulation in 2020, did not name the sites that have been blocked but said that the majority were not licensed in the European Union. It gave three days for access to the sites to be suspended and said that if they remained accessible the NRA would seek a High Court order to internet service providers (ISPs).