Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has given the green light to proposed amendments to the Gambling Law, which include a prohibition on gambling advertisements in the media. The changes will come into force from May 17th after Radev decided not to veto the plan.

President Radev had earlier indicated that he was deliberating on the changes to the Gambling Law and was waiting on inputs from his advisors before making a final decision.

According to Fakti, a Bulgarian news website, the new rules will prohibit television, radio, newspapers, and websites from publishing and broadcasting gambling advertisements. There will, however, be an exception when it comes to broadcasting the draws of the Bulgarian sports totalizer and the announcements about them.

The prohibition on gambling advertisements in media was approved by a significant majority of deputies during the final session of the 49th National Assembly, Sofia news agency Novinite reported.

Despite objections raised by various media outlets, gambling operators, sports clubs, and other businesses between the readings, the amendments were finally endorsed by the government. Some stakeholders positioned against the ban argued that public discussion should have preceded its adoption.

The initiative for the amendments originated from Bulgarian political parties 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 then quickly progressed through the legislative process, passing its first reading in the budget committee and subsequently receiving approval in the plenary session. 

Earlier in April, a similar proposal from the Revival party was submitted to parliament advocating for a ban on gambling advertising. However, the proposal was rejected with the votes of GERB, DPS, and coalition party We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria.