Key points:
- The BSP party in the coalition government raised concerns regarding problem gambling
- Rumen Petkov called for a central register of illegal gambling sites in Europe
- There could be as many as 5,174 illegal casinos active in the country
The newly formed Coalition Parliament in Bulgaria has held a press conference to discuss how the country will tackle policies under the new Government, including the issue of illegal gambling.
Rosen Zhelyazkov has been appointed as Prime Minister; former ministers and Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) officials hold 11 seats, while the pro-Russia Socialist Party (BSP) and the populist group There Is Such a People (ITN) hold four seats each.
During its portion of the press conference, BSP member Rumen Petkov criticised Europe for not having a singular register of illegal gambling sites which could be used as a database for regulatory bodies.
Petvok argued that this would create “the prerequisite for the development of illegal online gambling on the territory of the entire continent.”
He continued: “First, there’s an encroachment on the health, finances and well-being of entire generations and entire families. Second – it leads to an uncontrolled stream of funds, which is then re-invested into political influencing, production and trade of drugs, and human trafficking.
“This is a scourge for modern society and Europe’s lack of commitment is frightening.”
During the conference, Petkov raised a recent report from Bulgaria’s National Gambling Regulator (NRA), which had identified 5,174 illegal gambling websites when compared to the 25 licensed ones in the country.
Good to know: While some casinos are outright illegal in every jurisdiction, a casino can also be classed as illegal if it doesn’t hold a licence needed to operate in that particular country while being perfectly legal in others
In 2024 alone, this list of illegal gambling websites had grown by 3,007 entries.
Last year, more than 2,500 of these were shut down by Bulgaria's National Revenue Agency (NRA).
Petvok continued: “I’m not sure whether we realise to what extent illegal gambling dominates the online space compared to the gambling regulated by the state and is subjected to state regulations.
“This shows that after the measures taken by the state to limit the advertising of licensed operators, we’ve practically seen a doubling in illegal online gambling.”
Bulgaria isn't the only country looking to protect young people by placing restrictions on gambling, as the Netherlands has introduced plans to raise the age limit of gambling to 21 years.
