Up to 800 of Bulgaria's roughly 1,000 betting halls could be forced to close under a planned change to the gambling law, if it passes as it stands. The warning comes from the Association of Gambling Operators in Bulgaria (SOHIDB), which says up to 20,000 people could lose their jobs. The state would lose around 400 million euros a year in taxes, fees, social security payments and related revenue, the association says.

The industry's biggest worry is the new rules on minimum distance between gambling venues, and whether they will also hit halls that already hold a licence. SOHIDB says firms have put in large sums of money and paid in advance for years of operation, with licences issued after 2024 costing up to 150,000 euros each in some cases.

"Imagine you applied for a licence in 2023 or 2024 and paid upfront for five or ten years," said the association's chairman, Milen Totev. Closing halls before their licences run out would trigger hundreds of lawsuits against the state, the association says. It compares this to prepaid rent: the state lets you use something until a set date, then changes the rules and tells you to leave early.

"Gambling won't disappear just because legal venues close. The risk is that it simply moves to places the state can't watch or control," the association said.

Dimitar Dimitrov, a SOHIDB member who owns betting halls in Varna, warns people will turn to the black market. Georgi Petkov, from Sofia, said that when licensed halls close, betting shops working under different rules often open in their place. Deputy chairman Gavrail Chetrafilov said a total ban on advertising, online and outdoors, will make it harder for people to tell legal operators from illegal ones.

Closing around 800 venues would put croupiers, cashiers, managers, security guards, technicians, accountants and office staff out of work, the association said.

"What happens to the people who lose their jobs, and to their families? These decisions can't be made overnight without working out that impact first," said Dobromir Ivanov, a SOHIDB member.

The industry has told the finance ministry it is willing to compromise on advertising and on paying higher taxes. It says it will accept an ad ban and double the current tax rate, but only if the distance rules are reviewed for venues that already exist.

The association does not deny the need for stronger checks, protection for children and young people, limits on aggressive advertising, and action against addiction. But it wants predictable rules for licensed operators, and argues that tough regulation and a crackdown on illegal operators serve the interests of companies that already pay licence fees, taxes and social security contributions.

Before the rules are finally adopted, SOHIDB is calling for an independent review of the figures and a study that looks not just at how many venues close, but at where gambling spending goes instead. If no solution is found for existing venues, the industry says it is ready for peaceful protests and legal action.

This is not a new fight. In 2020, the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB) put forward a bill that would have closed hundreds of halls, concentrating gambling mainly in resorts, high-end hotels and near border crossings. The argument then was the same as now: curbing addiction versus the hit to legal businesses.