Bulgaria’s National Assembly is considering a bill that would reform the country’s gambling laws. A provision being considered would ban gambling advertising. Also being considered is the privatization of the state-owned Bulgarian Sports Totalisator (BST.)
The Bulgaria Football Union (BFU), which represents 12 football clubs, has announced on its website that it opposes the ban on gaming ads.
The statement says, “The BFU condemns the widespread intentions of the future changes in the law regarding the advertising of gambling and betting companies in our country.” It adds, “In Bulgaria, more than two-thirds of the clubs exist thanks to the financing of the gambling industry, and the possible cessation of this source of income will almost certainly mean bankruptcy for most of them.”
The current government of interim President Rumen Radev could face a general election in March while it struggles to form a ruling coalition. The BFU sees the proposed ad ban as “an attempt to earn political dividends from football.”
Ivan Vasiliev, president of Lokomotiv Sofia, the largest of the country’s football clubs, warns that his club couldn’t exist without the support of its sports betting partner Betano.
