Bulgarian President approves gambling law amendments

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has chosen not to veto the proposed amendments to the Gambling Law, which include a ban on gambling advertisements in the media.

Previously, President Radev had indicated that he was considering the changes to the Gambling Law and was waiting for input from his advisors before making a final decision.

The ban on gambling advertisements was approved by a significant majority of deputies during the final session of the 49th National Assembly. Despite objections from various media outlets, gambling operators, sports clubs, and other businesses between the readings, the amendments were endorsed. Some stakeholders argued that the ban should be preceded by public discussion.

The initiative for the amendments came from GERB and DPS and was introduced unexpectedly during the last days of the 49th National Assembly by Yordan Tsonev (DPS) and Temenuzka Petkova (GERB).

The bill quickly moved through the legislative process, passing its first reading in the budget committee and subsequently being approved in the plenary session. An extraordinary meeting of the Committee on Budget and Finance was held to facilitate the voting on the amendments before the deputies began their pre-election recess.