Director General of Bulgaria’s NRA, Roumen Spetsov, has expanded the country’s online gambling blacklist. He added 52 more operators to the list.
EASGO, or Electronic Audit of Systems of Gambling Operators, concluded that the websites in question were targeting Bulgarian users without an active license under the gambling law. This conclusion followed an exhaustive investigation by the national gambling regulator.
Websites bearing Armenian (.am) and Kazakhstani (.kz) domains displayed advertising banners when customers visited them. The banners featured text inviting users to participate in illegal games by creating a player profile and opening an account for deposits and withdrawals. All of which made seamlessly accessible.
In a statement, Spetsov ordered the suspension of online games on websites operating without a license under Bulgarian law. He mandated that this suspension take place within three days of the decision.
The NRA can file a legal complaint against them through the Bulgarian High Court. If the websites remain active after the given deadline, the NRA can issue an enforcement order to all internet service providers in the country to block access to those sites.
Bulgaria’s efforts to drive illegal operators out of the country have achieved notable success under Spetsov’s leadership at the NRA. Since the start of 2024, it reaches a total of 2500 websites blocked.
In September of the previous year, that number was 150. In January of this year, cases increased to 600.
With the NRA launching a new specialized subdivision in 2023 to serve as a protective body against money laundering, it has also strengthened its AML capabilities.
Gambling shareholders in the country have actively participated in joint initiatives led by the NRA and other government bodies. These efforts aim to keep the sector mobilized in its fight against bad actors.
