Official language: Bulgarian
Population: 7,640,238
Currency: Lev (BGN)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = 1.9540 BGN
1 GBP = 2.0872 BGN
1 USD = 1.3199 BGN

Quick links
Online casinos in Bulgaria
Online poker in Bulgaria
Online sportsbooks in Bulgaria
Online bingo in Bulgaria

Gambling in Bulgaria
The gambling laws in Bulgaria have been in turmoil for more than a decade. This includes gambling both online and offline. For many years, gambling was illegal, though a thriving black market existed. Then, in 1993, the Bulgarian government legalized casinos, bingo halls, and a government-run lottery system. Casinos started popping up everywhere, and gaming machines made a huge splash, appearing in pubs, arcades, and coffee shops around the country.

The laws tightened in 1998, and new taxes were introduced. It was decided that gaming machines of any kind could only be operated in licensed locations. The government of Bulgaria, however, has been very generous with giving out licenses, and today gaming machines can be found in hundreds of locations. There are currently 20 large-scale casinos and 50 bingo halls operating in Bulgaria.

Online Gambling in Bulgaria
It wasn't until 2007 that Bulgaria started thinking about gambling online. The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance got tired of seeing so much potential tax money flowing out of the country and into international gambling sites hosted abroad. The wheels were set in motion, and in February of 2008, online gambling was legalized in Bulgaria. It is currently heavily taxed at a flat rate of 10% on profit, which has the EU and casino operators up in arms and protesting.

One of the biggest internet gambling operations in Bulgaria revolves around the government-run monopoly on sports betting. The site Sports Totalizator is a Bulgarian online gambling site that features both a sportsbook and a lottery. Half of the proceeds of the site go to supporting Bulgarian sports teams. There are currently talks of opening up the site further and offering casino games as well, but the issue remains undecided.