Bulgarians bridle at proposed advertising restrictions

Bulgarian government proposals to impose a ban on gambling advertisements have met with opposition from both land and online operators, who have been voicing their objections during a consultative process this week, calling for equity in laws that affect companies.
The newspaper The Standart reports that operators are disgruntled about the manner in which the government proposes to go about licensing in its new Gambling Act draft, and the suggested ban on gambling advertisements, which is seen as discriminatory.
The full ban on gambling advertising envisaged in the latest draft should be removed, demanded companies involved in a variety of gambling businesses.
If restrictions were essential, it would be more acceptable to treat gambling in the same manner as smoking, with warnings of the possible dangers associated with wagering carried on any advertising, rather than outright bans.
The Bulgarian gaming association (BTAMOGI) has also been active in the EU arena, sending a delegation to a conference in Strasbourg headed by the European Gaming and Amusement Federation (EUROMAT) and focused on raising awareness on gambling regulation in the EU.
EUROMAT has called for equitable treatment of all forms of gambling service distribution across the EU, noting that the European gaming sector generated revenues of just over Euro 21 billion in 2009 and directly employs more than 280,000 people across the EU.
“Today has been all about ensuring that when decisions are made at EU level which impact our sector, that those decisions are based on concrete knowledge as to how our sector operates, how many people we employ and our commitment to providing gambling services in a responsible manner”, said Annette Kok, President of EUROMAT and its Dutch member VAN.
“With a Green Paper on remote gambling set to be adopted by the European Commission this spring, the next 18-24 months will be critical for our sector”.

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