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Lafka Market Stops Operations After Bulgaria’s Gambling Law Changes

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Changes in Bulgaria’s gambling law have caused the major local retailer Lafka Market to close its operations because of the loss of private lottery revenues.

Last week, the Bulgaria State Gambling Commission (BGC) issued a statement announcing the formal imposition of the new laws of the country restricting lottery operations to those run by the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator. Other lotteries were ordered to “cease the distribution and sale of tickets, coupons, cards or other tokens” related to private lottery operators and, in the presence of BGC staff, destroy all unsold tickets by the end of the year.

Lafka Market, which boasting around 1100 retail locations across the country, announced that it will shut down its operations. Lafka said it generated revenue of BGN240 m (US$ 133.2 m) in 2018 but much of that revenue was obtained through sales of products issued by the privately-run National Lottery and Lottery Bulgaria.

Bulgaria might have limited its lottery operations to the state but the country has made no move to revoke the licences it issued to several private online gambling operators, including familiar Western brands such as Bet365, Betfair, Bwin and PokerStars.

Amusnet

Amusnet Shortlisted in Four Categories at the Golden Spades Awards 2025

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Amusnet has been shortlisted in four categories at the Golden Spades Awards 2025, organised by the Association of Organisers of Gambling Games & Activities in Bulgaria (SOHIDB). The company is recognised for its achievements as the Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad, for its innovation with the Slot Machine of the Year, for the Debut of the Year for Gaming Machines and as the Online Supplier of the Year.

This recognition highlights Amusnet’s continuous commitment to excellence, and global growth across the online, online live casino and land-based gaming sectors. The Golden Spades Awards celebrate the companies and individuals driving the future of the gaming industry in Bulgaria and beyond, honoring outstanding performance and leadership in technology, product development and business development.

Irina Rusimova, Chief Commercial Officer at Amusnet, said: “It’s a great honor to see Amusnet recognized across multiple categories at this year’s Golden Spades Awards. These nominations reflect the dedication, creativity, and passion of our entire team, as well as our strong partnerships both in Bulgaria and worldwide. We are proud to represent Bulgarian innovation on the global stage and to continue setting high standards for entertainment and technology.”

The post Amusnet Shortlisted in Four Categories at the Golden Spades Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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CT Interactive Shortlisted for the “Golden Spade’s” Awards 2025

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CT Interactive has been shortlisted in the “Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad” category at the “Golden Spade’s” Awards 2025. This recognition is a testament to CT Interactive’s continuous commitment to innovation, quality and excellence in delivering engaging iGaming experiences to its partners and players around the world.

The “Golden Spade’s” Awards 2025 celebrate excellence and achievement across Bulgaria’s gaming and entertainment sectors. The awards ceremony will take place on November 25 at the Hyatt Regency Sofia, bringing together the most prominent figures and companies shaping the industry’s future.

Monika Zlateva, CCO of CT Interactive, said: “We are honored to be recognized as a finalist in such a competitive and prestigious category. This acknowledgment inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and delivering exceptional experiences to our partners and players around the world.”

The post CT Interactive Shortlisted for the “Golden Spade’s” Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Bulgaria Plans to Increase Gambling Tax

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After banks helped the Ministry of Finance (MF) fill the budget gap this year, the ministry has chosen another sector to help patch up the deficit in 2026. This sector is gambling, which will pay higher license fees for organising games, according to Economic.bg in the Updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast for the period 2026 – 2028.

It states that with amendments to the Gambling Act, the variable part of the two-component state fee payable for maintaining a license for lotteries, raffles, toto, bingo, keno, and others will be increased as of January 1, 2026.

Currently, the two-part license maintenance fee consists of a one-time fee of BGN 300,000 and a variable part of 20% on the difference between the value of bets received and winnings paid out. For games for which participation fees and commissions are collected, this 20% is imposed on their value accordingly.

For online betting, the one-time fee is BGN 400,000, and the variable part is again 20% on the difference between the bets received and the winnings paid out.

Now, instead of 20%, gambling operators are being asked to pay 25% on the difference. The 5% point increase is expected to contribute an additional €32 million in revenue to the treasury.

“The planned increase in the fees payable by gambling operators is aimed at generating additional revenue for the state budget and thus providing additional funds for social and economic expenditure, which is in the public interest,” the Ministry of Finance said.

It is interesting, however, that the effect of the measure in 2027-2028 has not been calculated.

Temenuzhka Petkova’s idea is actually an old one, left over from the discussions on the 2025 state budget by the caretaker government of former Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.

The post Bulgaria Plans to Increase Gambling Tax appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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