Bulgarian parliament rejects proposed amendments to Gambling Act amidst contentious debate

In a turn of events within the Bulgarian Parliament, proposed revisions to the Gambling Act aimed at curbing gambling advertisements were dealt a crushing blow on Wednesday.

Kostadin Kostadinov of Vazrazhdane proposed these amendments, which faced a defeat with a vote of 67-29, alongside 79 abstentions. The proposal was backed by Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria, and There Is Such a People.

Supporters pointed fingers at GERB and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, accusing them of favoring gambling interests over societal well-being.

The proposed amendments seek to address societal harms linked to gambling. Proponents argued for stricter advertising regulations, control mechanisms, and an empowered register for individuals grappling with gambling addiction. Furthermore, they pushed for penalties on media entities avoiding gambling advertising restrictions.

Vazrazhdane argued that gambling addiction is a disease that affects one in three families in Bulgaria, reports the Bulgarian News Agency. They said that helping fight this is the main objective of the law and urged the other groups in Parliament to engage in a meaningful debate that would produce a good law.

Rumen Gechev of BSP for Bulgaria echoed this sentiment, advocating for an outright ban on gambling within Bulgaria's borders. He highlighted the aggressive onslaught of gambling advertisements, lamenting their omnipresence in the digital spaces frequented by youth.

However, dissenting voices emerged from GERB-UDF, with Lyuben Dilov cautioning against the proposed amendments' potentially adverse effects on municipal sporting institutions.

Dilov pushed back against the notion of a blanket ban on gambling advertisements, arguing that such measures would merely scratch the surface of addiction's root causes. "Human nature," he argued, "should remain untouched and unchanged."