Bulgaria

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Bulgaria

This is the right spot for you if you want to know where to put your money on. As a Bulgarian bettor, our guide will help you have an awesome betting experience while betting on your favorite sports.In addition, this guide of ours related to online gambling in Bulgaria has provided country’s gaming legislation outlined as well as other taxation issues among others.

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Is Online Betting Legal in Bulgaria?

Just like other nations, you should have reached eighteen years old to access betting sites in Bulgaria. If you tick that box, it’s legal for you to bet online in the oldest country in Europe.

In Bulgaria, gambling companies have been experiencing constant changes in the legislations put in place. In the ‘How Gambling Laws Have Evolved in Bulgaria’ segment of this guide, you can find more details on it. However, is there any need to pay taxes and which site is better to use: local or international one?

Tax Laws on Winnings

In the past, you might have heard something along the lines of paying 15% in taxes. The good news is that this only applied to operators and has since been amended – so you don’t need to pay any taxes on your winnings. A proposal to impose a tax rate of 10% on winnings was raised in 2013 but fortunately never came into effect.

Local vs International Betting Sites

According to what you consider important, this choice can vary as there are advantages of using international operators and one licensed in Bulgaria. There are also better bonuses given by foreign betting sites because the range of bookmakers is higher while competing for your business. It is however outside Bulgaria where some of the best operators originate from.

Moreover, local betting sites also have their own merits. You won’t have to worry about language barriers and there’s an increased likelihood that you can easily deposit funds using lev. Nonetheless, ensure to employ the services of a site that has been licensed since they are still several websites blacklisted by the government for this specific reason. Let’s not forget that there is a good chance which would bring websites into your mind that were once blocked in some areas.

Get registered at one of the sites we recommend to you in order to make sure that your betting on favourite sports run smoothly.

It Can Be Difficult for Bulgarians to Bet Online

How hard is it to place a wager once you have read our Bulgaria betting tips and are ready to get started? Sadly, there could be some hurdles along the way.

Now, let me clarify this point. This happens for reasons as clear as day: these are all sites regulated by Bulgarian authorities to cater for the needs of local players alone. Let me explain why some gambling operators do not accept Bulgarian customers. Thus, even though some of such sites appear on a notorious blacklist, they still take bets from Bulgarian sports betting enthusiasts. The reason is that they want to look accountable elsewhere in the globe and protect their chances of getting other licenses in future times.

Only a handful of these global companies provide Bulgarian translation services or accept bets in Bulgarian Lev. Otherwise, you will have to pick another foreign language that you are conversant with or depend on the browser’s interpretation of the text. Moreover, your account may be denominated in Euros.

You may experience issues with transactions at Bulgarian gambling sites if the Blacklist is implemented. Even though credit cards like Visa or MasterCard will process transactions for local websites, they may not do so for overseas ones.

Instead, we would suggest selecting an e-wallet such as NETELLER or Skrill. These act as a middleman online wallet allowing you to put in and pull out money through different websites without problems.

Flag of Bulgaria

How to Deposit at Bulgarian Betting Sites

Online betting sites in Bulgaria make it easy to deposit, especially if you use some of the local or very popular banking options. The following are some of the payment methods that can be used at Bulgarian betting sites:

Credit and Debit Cards

Whenever you want to purchase anything, be it a service or product, you can use your credit card or debit card in Bulgaria. This also applies to gambling. The majority of betting websites allow their customers to pay through their credit cards. Additionally, one can opt out of entering his/her credentials the next time he/she wants to deposit money quickly into the account.

ePay

ePay is well-liked for Bulgarian bettors who use their funds by depositing in one of the numerous currencies and then making free transfers. Withdrawals are quick, as you can pay via a free app. There are videos on epay.bg that can be followed in case you get stuck, they help to illustrate every single process with step by step instructions.

Easypay

That is why Easypay has become the preferred method of payment for most Bulgarian online betting sites due to its ability to offer free, online and instant payments. These payments are electronic hence there is no need for intermediaries such as banks that would delay the payouts thus allowing faster transactions. You can make deposits for either local or international use.

Mobiamo

When a large part of gamblers in Bulgaria uses their mobile devices to make bets, it would be wise to think about mobile payments. Mobiamo is exactly this; as it offers one click transaction service for customers living in 110 different countries. Moreover, they have a 24/7 support, which sounds cool.

Most Popular Sports for Betting in Bulgaria

The range of sports that Bulgarians are passionate about is why we have many markets and options at our favourite Bulgarian betting sites. Here’s a bit more on some fan favorites:

Football

From Finland to Germany, football is greatly admired all over Europe and this is also the case with Bulgaria. Hristo Stoichkov, who scored over 250 goals for club and country, was born in Bulgaria. Dimitar Berbatov, a former Manchester United player, started his career at CSKA Sofia in his motherland league where he played between1998 to 2001.

Bulgaria’s top league is the First Professional Football League and comprises 14 teams. CSKA Sofia is the most successful team with over 30 titles, but Levski Sofia isn’t far off. Whether you’ve got a hunch on who’ll win next season, or you’d rather bet on an international competition like the English Premier League, you can find lots of football markets at the top Bulgarian betting sites.

Volleyball

In Bulgaria, there are many volleyball markets available for betting and this is a very popular sport. The Bulgarian men’s volleyball team often ranks among the top fifteen in FIVB ratings. In 1980, Bulgaria had an unforgettable victory in the Balkan Championships and they were runners-up at the European Championships of 1951.

In 1994, they have made it up to the semi finals of World league until 2013 at least five times. Equally popular within Europe is the country’s top league known as super league. You can in fact deposit and bet on this including international competitions at all the leading Bulgarian bookies sites.

Tennis

It is not a secret that Bulgarians are strong contenders at the world stage of tennis. The player, who has been one of the leading ones in world tennis over the recent years and won ATP finals, is Grigor Dimitrov; his position was no 3 in 2017. Manuela and Magdalena Maleeva as well as Tsvetana Pironkova are among some of the top Bulgarian female players to have ever played the game.

The ATP Sofia Open played in Bulgaria is among the ATP World Tour 250 series which are regarded as very prestigious. In fact, Dimitrov won the second ever men’s singles final beating David Goffin of Belgium in straight sets, 7-5 and 6-4. There are bookmakers in Bulgaria who cover both local and international tennis tournaments.

Winter Sports

While Bulgaria has had more success in other sports, it still has a strong following for winter sports. The national team have collected medals – as of now, six are in possession of the country including one gold for biathlon in 1998.

Naturally, if you want to bet on winter sports, then you will have to look out for the appropriate seasons and events although finding somewhere to bet should not be a problem. The best sports betting sites in Bulgaria provide various markets for winter sports competitions.

Boxing

When it comes to boxing, Bulgaria is a nation no other would like to compete against. So far, Bulgaria has won 18 Olympic medals in boxing, four of them being gold. The wrestling track record alone boasts of 69 Olympic medals, while weightlifting also has its own share of 37. This shows how much the country loves tough physical sports.

Bulgaria’s top online bookmakers cover Olympic boxing and the most marketable ones that involved Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev and Anthony Joshua from UK. However, there were no wins for Pulev, but it was a perfect reflection of what Bulgaria expects from their boxers at this level.

Athletics

Bulgaria is a force to reckon with in athletics all over the world. It has many records that have been there for many years. In 1987, at the World Championships Stefka Kostadinova jumped 209 cm and set a women’s high jump world record that still stands today; while Yordanka Donkova set a world record in 100m hurdles which still stands up to this day.

Bulgaria’s betting companies have got you covered if you are betting on the Olympics or the athletics at a smaller level. All top sites include key markets for athletics, allowing you to place bets on your preferred competitors without any troubles.

Law-related items on map of Bulgaria

How Gambling Laws Have Evolved in Bulgaria

Online betting is permitted in Bulgaria, albeit with a series of changes relating to the rights of both gamblers and betting firms. A quick look at gambling regulations in Bulgaria today will tell you what you can or cannot do.

Because of the strict communist regime in place, gambling on sports was considered illegal then. Eurofootball, which is the first private bookmaker in Bulgaria, started operations only after it was legalized in 1990. Thus there were no formal licenses until 1993 when the company was allowed to operate by the government. In addition to this, a state-run lottery operator known as Sports Totalizator emerged and introduced pari-mutuel style betting games through it. As such, these two companies have rapidly expanded over time and are currently controlling the ground-based gaming industry.

Creation of the SCG

With the addition of the State Commission for Gambling (SCG) in 1998, regulation made a major stride. The SCG had some significant powers which included awarding licenses.

Another set of laws also came into existence in 2008 that allowed betting companies in Bulgaria to potentially operate online or via the Internet. As such, Eurofootball was allowed to advertise their prices, while Sports Totalizator remained the only licensed operator.

The Gambling Act 2012 and Increased Taxes

The year 2012 saw the popularity of online gambling in Bulgaria skyrocket as a result of the Gambling Act. It was however accompanied by a huge setback in terms of the 15% tax on total revenue. Fortunately, this did not extend to players but it made the provision of attractive odds difficult for betting companies in Bulgaria thus leaving everyone dissatisfied with the act.

The choice was quickly made in the opposite direction; that of 2013 when the Gambling Reform Bill saw the 15% tax hike discarded and replaced it with a one-off licensure fee plus 20% of gross profits, which proved to be much more manageable.

SCG Scandal

Instead, in the year 2020, the SCG was temporarily closed after allegations of corruption. In a move to have this body’s responsibilities transferred to another agency, a bill was passed. Additionally, Bulgaria’s lawmakers amended licensing fees upwards marginally, which will not affect gamers significantly.

FAQ

What are the best betting sites in Bulgaria?

In order to assist you, we have come up with a catalog of the most popular Bulgarian betting websites. On our lists, every site has something special to offer new clients generous bonuses, competing odds on various sports disciplines, an impressive variety of deposit methods and many other extras.

How can I deposit at Bulgarian betting sites?

In order to deposit in Bulgarian betting sites, there are numerous payment options available. Most of the leading platforms will give you options including credit and debit cards, ePay and MINT, among other selections.

Do online betting sites accept Bulgarian lev?

When you register with a Bulgarian-based site, depositing and withdrawing money will usually be simple in lev. On international sites, however, you might need to change your money into euros or some other prominent currency- the thing is that not always it happens automatically.

Q.What sport is Bulgaria known for?

Bulgaria is a country that loves sport; its most popular sports are football, beach ball, and garden tennis. You can gamble on these sports at the most excellent Bulgarian sportsbooks and more.

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