Bulgaria looking to consolidate the gambling industry

Speaking at the first public discussion of the proposed amendments last Friday, State Commission on Gambling (SCG) chief Kaloyan Krastev said the move was aimed at consolidating the market. This was also the ground behind a proposed requirement for at least 15 gambling seats in gambling halls in towns with a population of up to 50,000; at least 30 seats for towns with a population of 50,000 to 100,000 people; and at least 50 seats for the biggest towns.

Krastev argued the new requirements would force smaller gambling sites, which he said operated mostly in the shadow sector, to join forces and come out in the clean, however, the industry protested that small size should not be a reason for kicking an operator out of the market.

Firms said the same effect could be achieved through the introduction of investment and solvency requirements for the different types of gambling. They dismissed the proposed changes as illogical as operators are required to prove the origin of their money anyway. The new law could leave just one operating casino in Sofia, the industry warned.

Under the current rules, the distance of gambling halls and other gambling sites from schools must be more than 300 metres. According to the proposal, this requirement will be toughened up to 150 metres for towns of under 50,000 people.

The industry dubbed the proposal seer nonsense as under-eighteens are not allowed into gambling halls anyway.