Bulgarian Parliament Rejects Revisions Aimed Against Advertisement of Gambling

The Bulgarian Parliament has voted against proposed revisions to the Gambling Act, aimed at curbing the pervasive influence of gambling advertisements. The revisions were proposed by Kostadin Kostadinov of Vazrazhdane and were voted down in a 67-29 vote with 79 abstentions. They were backed by Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria and There Is Such a People.

The bill’s supporters blamed GERB and Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria for protecting gambling businesses.

The reasoning to the bill said that it sought to minimise the harm in society caused by gambling by curbing advertising and improving control, and strengthening the deterring function of the register of persons with gambling addiction. The revisions also proposed a fine for media operators violating the restrictions on advertising gambling.

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Vazrazhdane argued that gambling addiction is a disease which affects one in three families in Bulgaria. They said that helping fight this is the main objective of the law and urged the other groups in Parliament to engage in a meaningful debate that would produce a good law.

Rumen Gechev of BSP for Bulgaria argued in favour of a total ban on gambling in Bulgaria. He said that advertisement of gambling has become aggressive and ubiquitous in recent years, “has got into the phones of children and youths, and this has got to stop”.

Lyuben Dilov of GERB-UDF argued that “the dramatic changes proposed in the Vazrazhdane bill” will deal a severe blow on municipal sporting institutions. He also said that a ban on advertising gambling will not solve the problem with the addiction. “Human nature should not be touched and changed,” he added.