Bulgaria's We Continue The Change seeks full ad ban

Bulgaria's We Continue The Change party wants gambling advertising banned outright. It argues that current rules contain loopholes operators are using to get around the law's intent. The centrist formation, which has long criticised the industry, has put forward a draft proposal for yet another revision of the country's Gambling Act.

This comes after gambling branding stirred up controversy during World Cup broadcasts on Bulgarian National Television (BNT). Operators including inbet, Efbet, and 8888 ran frequent ads for franchising opportunities, and their names and logos showed up heavily in prime time. None of it was direct B2C marketing, exactly. But the exposure still drew criticism that the law was being undermined.

Bulgaria's gambling regulations got their biggest shake-up in decades back in 2024. Tougher rules arrived on licensing, player protection, and marketing. Bonuses and incentives in ads were prohibited. Outdoor billboards had to sit at least 300 metres from schools. Gambling ads were barred from TV, radio, social media, and print. Even so, the party insists product placement and sponsored league names remain an obvious gap.

Party Chairman Assen Vassilev says the loopholes are being exploited. "We need to seal off the legislative loopholes, such as product placement not being treated as advertising. This is an obvious loophole that is being utilised," he said. "This also goes for the branding of gambling operators not being treated as advertising when you add 'League' at the end of it."

Bulgarian National Radio reports the proposal includes a full outdoor advertising ban covering billboards, public transport stops, and all buildings except land-based venues. It also calls for logos on sponsored adult sports kits to be limited to 10x10cm, a ban on product placement across every medium, and mandatory harm messages taking up no less than 10% of any permitted advert. Those messages would need clear formatting, black letters on a white background.

Harm messaging is already compulsory, but Vassilev notes some companies have tried to dodge it. They camouflage letters in the same colour as the background. He pointed to the EU's ban on political advertising across social media, which pushed platforms like Facebook and Google into self-regulation. "Let's start working in that direction. We've spoken to our European MPs about implementing such an EU-wide measure for gambling as well," he said.

Back in July, the party urged PM Roumen Radev's cabinet to bring in similar steps ahead of the 2026/27 Budget. Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova turned them down. She said the government is preparing its own full review of the Gambling Act, which recently added a licensing regime for affiliates.

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has previously worked with LiveScoreBet, JBO, and Betfair, also entered the advertising debate. "There were billboards with my likeness everywhere. At the time, I had slightly fallen asleep in my own bubble and didn't realise that what I had done was actually a mistake," he said. "I had to wake up because I underestimated my social responsibility, especially towards young people."

The draft proposal still needs to clear parliament. Any final say rests with the government's broader Gambling Act review. Operators and broadcasters should expect the fight to heat up as the next budget cycle draws closer.