Obtaining an online gambling licence in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Gambling Act 2012 and its implementing legislation regulate Bulgarian online gambling. Remote gambling was first legislated for in 2014. The government authority which reviews applications and issues gambling licences is the National Revenue Agency. Only a licensed company can organise online betting in Bulgaria. The gambling sector is partly exempt from EU laws. There is no EU law that regulates gambling in member states.
The general requirements for obtaining a gambling licence are as follows: the applicant must be an EU-registered company, have at least BGN 1.5 m of paid-in share capital, an authorised representative in Bulgaria, reliable reliability, computer systems and networks, software, etc. The application is supported by a set of documents. It takes between 60 and 90 days to review the application. After review, the NRA Director approves or rejects the licence application and the decision is appealed before the Sofia Administrative Court. The licence usually lasts for 5 years.
The applicant company must be an EU-registered company with at least BGN 1.5 m (approx. € 767,000) of paid-in share capital. It must have certain computer systems and networks, software, etc. in the EU. The company's central computer system must provide real-time information on the games played, bets made and the prizes paid.
Online gambling operators need to comply with domestic law. This includes: advertising regulation, the consumer protection, data protection and AML.
Commercial relationships with suppliers. The licensed applicant may be required to enter into supply and service agreements with software suppliers, e.g., SLAs.
Obtaining an online gambling licence in Bulgaria is a complex process. Employment issues may arise.