How to get a gambling licence in Bulgaria: fees and steps

Since 8 August 2020 there is a single regulator, the National Revenue Agency. The former State Commission on Gambling (Darzhavna komisia po hazarta) was closed by a July 2020 amendment to the Gambling Act and its functions, register and staff moved into the NRA. Licences are granted by the Executive Director of the NRA.

• The Gambling Act defines online gambling as any game of chance in which players bet directly through the internet or other electronic means of communication.
• Remote gambling was first opened in 2012 and made commercially workable by the 2013 tax reform; the framework has since seen only incremental change plus the 2020 regulator transfer, the 2024 advertising clamp-down and the 2026 fee rise.
• Following a February 2021 amendment, online lotteries (other than instant lotteries) are a State monopoly held by the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator, so private operators cannot licence classic lottery draws.

Laws that apply

• Zakon za hazarta (Gambling Act), State Gazette No. 26 of 30 March 2012, in force 1 July 2012, as amended
• Zakon za korporativnoto podohodno oblagane (Corporate Income Tax Act, ZKPO), alternative gambling taxes and 10% corporate tax
• Tariff of state fees collected under the Gambling Act (Council of Ministers ordinance)
• Zakon za merkite sreshtu izpiraneto na pari (Measures Against Money Laundering Act, ZMIP) · Personal Data Protection Act with GDPR

A local subsidiary is not compulsory, but the applicant must be a trading company (LLC or joint-stock company with registered shares) whose registered seat is in Bulgaria, another EU member state, an EEA state or the Swiss Confederation.

• Key persons (director or legal representative, compliance officer, AML officer and IT/technical officer) are vetted, and the source of the invested funds must be documented.
• Foreign persons from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland are largely shut out: they may only take part where the company runs a casino in a four-star-or-better hotel it owns, or has invested at least the BGN equivalent of EUR 10,000,000 and created 500 jobs in Bulgaria.
• As of 2025 Bulgaria also operates an FDI-screening regime under Regulation (EU) 2019/452 for sensitive sectors, a separate clearance to keep in view for larger cross-border shareholdings.

Gambling charges in Bulgaria are levied as state fees under the Gambling Act rather than as ordinary taxes. For online betting, lotto, bingo, keno and similar games the fee has two parts: a fixed part of BGN 400,000 (approx. EUR 204,500) per annum plus a variable part on gross gaming revenue. A one-off document-review fee is paid up front.

• The variable part is charged on GGR (the positive difference between stakes received and winnings paid), settled monthly; for gambling tournaments such as poker the levy is 20% on the commissions collected.
• Online casino games (roulette, card games and slots offered online) are not charged the GGR variable fee: they are taxed at 10% corporate income tax on profit, plus a fixed licence-maintenance fee whose amount depends on the term and type of licence.
• Land-based casino games carry a fixed tax per machine, seat or table rather than a percentage of GGR, and betting via the price of a telephone or telecom service is taxed at 15% on the service mark-up.

The headline operator burden is the two-part state fee above. On top sits corporate income tax at a flat 10%. The 2012 launch taxed online betting at 15% of turnover (total stakes), which was so punitive that no operator applied; a 2013 amendment switched the base to gross gaming revenue and the market took off.

• The 1 January 2026 rise from 20% to 25% was adopted in the state budget to help close a large fiscal deficit and applies across lotteries, raffles, toto, bingo, keno and sports betting, including their online forms.
• Cash payment of a win is allowed up to BGN 5,000 (approx. EUR 2,500); above that the payout must be made by bank transfer.
• A permanent-establishment risk can arise for remote operators depending on their local footprint, a cross-border tax point to check with Bulgarian counsel.

Bulgaria joined the euro area on 1 January 2026 as the 21st member, replacing the lev at the fixed, irrevocable rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN set by the Council of the EU on 8 July 2025.

• The statutory figures remain denominated in leva in the Gambling Act and the fee tariff; the euro amounts follow mechanically at 1.95583, so the BGN 400,000 fixed fee is about EUR 204,500 and the BGN 1,500,000 capital floor is about EUR 766,900.
• During the transition, leva and euro circulate together for a short dual-circulation window; contracts, capital and fee obligations convert at the fixed rate with no revaluation of the underlying duty.

Bulgaria layers a paid-up capital floor, a post-licence investment duty and a local-banking requirement on top of the fees.

• The required investment amount varies by licence type, and the licensee must submit documents to the NRA proving the minimum investment was made within six months of issuance.
• The operator must hold a bank account with an EU bank operating in Bulgaria for taking deposits and paying prizes, which in practice means a bank licensed to operate in the country.

The platform must let the NRA see the operation in real time and must keep Bulgarian player data inside the country.

• The central computer systems must be located in the EU and must register and identify players, and they must be connected to the NRA servers to provide real-time information on games played, bets made and prizes paid.
• For online betting, all data relating to the service (participant registration and identification, bets placed and winnings paid) must be stored in Bulgaria.
• The gaming software and every subsequent update must be approved by the NRA before use, and gaming equipment must meet the Act and be certified.
• Four compliance roles typically need NRA approval: the director or legal representative, the compliance officer, the AML responsible officer and the IT or technical responsible officer.

The minimum gambling age is 18. The NRA maintains a Register of Vulnerable Persons that operators must screen against, and operators must offer self-exclusion and limit tools.

• People flagged as susceptible to gambling harm, and those who self-exclude, are entered in the Register of Vulnerable Persons; organisers must not allow a registered person to participate.
• Operators must provide age and identity verification, self-exclusion and deposit, session and time controls, and responsible-gambling messaging.
• A bill tabled by the ITN party in February 2026 would raise the effective age to 21 by treating 18 to 20-year-olds as vulnerable persons; as of mid-2026 it is pending, opposed by four industry bodies, and not yet law.

Licensed gambling organisers are obliged entities under the Measures Against Money Laundering Act (ZMIP), which transposes the EU AML directives.

• Apply customer due diligence, identify and verify players at registration, and monitor for and report suspicious transactions.
• Maintain an internal AML system: a documented risk assessment, internal rules, an appointed responsible officer and staff training.
• Keep AML and transaction records for the statutory retention period and cooperate with the financial-intelligence authorities.

Major 2024 amendments cut gambling advertising to a narrow set of permitted placements, sharply reducing brand visibility. General TV, radio, print and online-media advertising of private gambling is barred.

• Permitted only: outdoor billboards at least 300 metres from schools, childcare, community-culture centres, playgrounds, student hostels and child social-service facilities; facade signage of a gambling venue up to 20% of the facade and no more than 50 square metres; and on sports equipment, facilities and federation or club materials (not those intended for minors).
• At least 10% of the advertising area (except on sports equipment) must carry the warning "Gambling poses a risk of developing addiction" (Hazartat crie risk ot razvitie na zavisimost).
• Sponsorship of sports events is permitted within these limits; permitted ads may show the game names and the organiser registered trademark.

The NRA polices the ring-fenced market with a public blacklist of unlicensed sites backed by ISP and payment blocking, and heavy fines for unlicensed supply.

• The NRA keeps a public list of websites offering gambling to Bulgarian players without a licence; internet providers must block access to listed sites.
• Banks and payment institutions must halt transactions to and from blacklisted operators; hundreds of sites have been blocked, with more than 600 added in a single quarter around 2024.
• The NRA can also suspend or revoke a licence for breaches, and personal liability can attach in serious cases.

The route to a live Bulgarian online operation, in filing order. Run the platform, NRA server link and certification in parallel with the corporate and capital tracks, because the NRA review itself is short (about two to three months).

1. 01

   Qualify an EU/EEA/Swiss company with BGN 1.5M paid-up capital

   LLC or JSC · capital BGN 1,500,000

   Use or form a limited liability or joint-stock company with registered shares, seated in Bulgaria, another EU member state, an EEA state or Switzerland, with at least BGN 1,500,000 (approx. EUR 766,900) of fully paid-up capital.

2. 02

   Appoint a Bulgarian representative and open a local EU-bank account

   authorised representative · bank operating in Bulgaria

   If the company is not Bulgarian, nominate an authorised representative in Bulgaria, and open a bank account with an EU bank operating in the country for taking deposits and paying prizes.

3. 03

   Confirm reliability and vet the key persons

   no prior Gambling Act breach

   Ensure no prior breach of the Gambling Act, no revoked licence and clean records for directors and majority shareholders, and line up the compliance, AML and IT/technical officers who will need NRA approval.

4. 04

   Build the platform: EU central systems, NRA link, data in Bulgaria

   real-time NRA connection

   Host the central computer systems in the EU, wire them to the NRA servers for real-time reporting of games, bets and prizes, and store all online-betting participant, bet and payout data inside Bulgaria.

5. 05

   Get the gaming software approved and equipment certified

   NRA software approval

   Obtain NRA approval of the gaming software (and of any later updates) and certification of the gaming equipment against the Act before launch.

6. 06

   Assemble the application dossier

   good standing · UBO · AML rules

   Compile certificates of good standing, criminal-record checks, beneficial-owner information, source-of-funds evidence, the game rules, internal KYC and AML procedures, website information and gaming-equipment documentation.

7. 07

   Pay the BGN 20,000 examination fee and file with the NRA

   review fee BGN 20,000

   Submit the application to the NRA with the document-review fee of BGN 20,000 (approx. EUR 10,200) for online sports betting. The Executive Director of the NRA decides on the file.

8. 08

   Clear the NRA review

   60-90 days + 30-day extension

   Review generally runs 60 to 90 days, extendable by up to 30 days. A rejection is appealable to the Sofia Administrative Court. Respond quickly to information requests to hold the timeline.

9. 09

   Receive the licence and settle the state fees

   5 or 10 years · BGN 400,000 p.a. + 25% GGR

   On a 5 or 10-year licence, pay the fixed part of the state fee (BGN 400,000 per annum for online betting/lotto/bingo/ keno), the variable part of 25% on GGR monthly, and the BGN 50,000 annual responsible-gambling contribution.

10. 10

    Make the BGN 1M investment within six months

    investment BGN 1,000,000

    Invest at least BGN 1,000,000 (approx. EUR 511,300) as required for your licence type and file documents evidencing it to the NRA within six months of issuance.

11. 11

    Integrate the Register of Vulnerable Persons and RG tooling

    age 18 · self-exclusion

    Screen every registration and login against the Register of Vulnerable Persons, block registered and under-18 users, and deploy self-exclusion plus deposit, session and time limits with responsible-gambling messaging.

12. 12

    Go live and run ongoing tax, AML and advertising compliance

    ZMIP · 25% GGR · ad ban

    Launch under the licence. File and pay the variable fee monthly (25% of GGR) and 10% corporate tax, run ZMIP AML duties, and keep all marketing inside the narrow post-2024 advertising exceptions with the mandatory addiction warning.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 28 Jul 2026.