New Measure Aims to Strengthen Player Protection
Bulgaria has significantly strengthened its safer gambling framework by extending the minimum self-exclusion period from 30 days to one full year. The National Revenue Agency (NRA), which oversees gambling regulation in the country, confirmed the change took effect on March 27, 2025.
The reform represents one of the most stringent self-exclusion requirements in Europe and forms part of Bulgaria’s broader initiative to enhance player protection measures.
Complex Self-Exclusion Process Raises Concerns
Players seeking to self-exclude must either:
- Email a written request to the NRA
- Visit an NRA office to submit their request via kiosk
Both methods require gamblers to provide comprehensive personal information and an electronic signature, which can cost between £3 and £33 depending on the technology used. Players can pay more for signatures with longer validity periods.
Some industry observers worry the extended timeframe combined with the complex registration process might discourage vulnerable players from utilizing the self-exclusion option.
Strict Enforcement with Severe Penalties
According to the NRA, approximately 54,000 self-exclusion requests are currently active in Bulgaria. Operators face significant consequences for violations:
- First offense: BGN 5,000 (€2,500) fine
- Second offense: BGN 20,000 (€10,200) fine
- Third offense: Potential license revocation
The registry automatically includes individuals receiving social support and those diagnosed with certain mental health conditions.
Part of Broader European Gambling Reforms
Bulgaria’s changes align with a growing European trend toward stricter gambling regulations. Similar reforms have been introduced in:
- Lithuania: Raising the gambling age from 18 to 21 and requiring financial institutions to block transactions from unlicensed operators
- Croatia: Implementing new player protection rules, tightening advertising restrictions, and increasing licensing fees
However, these reforms face potential challenges. The European Court recently deemed Lithuania’s changes unenforceable, ruling the European Commission wasn’t properly notified of the regulatory changes.
Tackling Illegal Gambling
Former Bulgarian interior minister Rumen Petkov has called for a unified European regulatory registry to combat illegal gambling operators, which he describes as “a scourge of modern society.”
“Europe has seen illegal online gambling dominate over legal alternatives in recent years,” Petkov stated. “This leads to frightening outcomes: encroachment on health, finances and well-being of entire families, plus a stream of uncontrolled funds reinvested into political influencing, drug production and human trafficking.”
As Bulgaria implements these stricter self-exclusion requirements, the gambling industry will be watching closely to see if they effectively protect vulnerable players or inadvertently push them toward unregulated options.
French Regulator Penalizes Unibet France for System Malfunction
Unibet France has been fined €800,000 by France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ) after a serious malfunction in its self-exclusion system allowed previously banned players to continue gambling. The penalty, the largest ever imposed by the regulator, underscores the importance of responsible gambling measures.
Thousands Potentially Affected by System Error
The issue, which impacted iOS users, first surfaced between March 2021 and December 2022. Despite being fixed, the error reappeared from December 2022 to February 2023, before finally being resolved. Unibet admitted it could not determine the exact number of affected players, but estimates varied widely. While the operator claimed no more than 100 users were impacted, ANJ reported that over 4,500 players may have been affected.
The malfunction stemmed from a coding error that misinterpreted exclusion periods. Players who opted for a 12-month self-exclusion were only restricted for 12 days, significantly undermining responsible gambling protections.
Regulator Slams Unibet’s Response
ANJ criticized Unibet France, operated by SPS Betting, for failing to implement effective corrective measures in a timely manner. “The ability for players to self-exclude is a crucial safeguard in online gambling,” the regulator stated, highlighting the importance of compliance.
This latest sanction follows previous fines against Unibet France, including penalties for exceeding the country’s 85% return-to-player limit.
Unibet Ordered to Display Public Notice
As part of the penalty, Unibet France must display a public notice on its homepage from 17 March for two weeks, informing customers of the sanction. The fine will also be published in France’s Official Journal and on the ANJ website until March 2026, at which point references to the operator will be anonymized.
SPS Betting has two months to appeal the decision before the Council of State.
FDJ Prepares for First Full-Year Report Since Unibet Takeover
The timing of this fine coincides with the upcoming release of the 2024 full-year financial results for La Française des Jeux (FDJ), which acquired Unibet’s parent company, Kindred Group, in October 2024 for €2.45 billion. The report is expected to provide insights into Unibet’s performance under its new ownership.
