Citing the need to limit the negative impact on Bulgarian citizens, Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chairman of "Yes, Bulgaria" and deputy chairman of the "Democratic Bulgaria" parliamentary group, stated: "I believe the time has come to ban advertising in order to limit the obviously negative impact on Bulgarian citizens." To achieve this effect, the parliamentary group is submitting a bill to the National Assembly to amend the Gambling Act.
According to Bozhanov, existing restrictions are being systematically bypassed by operators, with cities "covered in advertisements," including in the form of billboards and banners. He added that such abuses of legal "loopholes" have even been observed on national television channels, despite the fact that regulations supposedly prohibit them.
To curb these practices, the proposed legislative changes include the introduction of systematic and proactive monitoring of online advertising. The regulations also place greater responsibilities on search engines and social networks. Although the bill includes penalties, the focus is on the actual and effective removal of advertising materials.
In comments to journalists in the corridors of parliament, Bozhidar Bozhanov highlighted another important aspect of the discussion. He noted that a total ban on gambling as an activity must be analyzed extremely carefully, as there is a serious risk of inadvertently stimulating the illegal gambling sector.