Bulgaria Proposes Stricter Limits on Online Gambling

Age-Based Session Limits and Login Restrictions

Under the proposed regulations, online gambling sessions would be capped at four hours per day per player, with stricter rules for those under 24, who would be limited to two-hour sessions. Operators would be responsible for tracking and enforcing these limits from the moment a user logs into their account.

Players could request to extend or shorten their session times, but any extension would only take effect 24 hours after the request, while reductions would be applied immediately.

Once the time limit is reached, players must be logged out by the operator, with no re-entry allowed for 15 minutes. During this cooling-off period, operators would be required to display safer gambling messages and direct users to the national self-exclusion registry.

Exceptions would apply for specific scenarios like tournament play, but players would still be logged out immediately once the event ends.

Mandatory Loss Caps and Self-Exclusion Measures

The proposal also includes a mandatory 24-hour loss limit, which players must set themselves. If a player reaches their set limit, the operator would automatically enroll them in the national self-exclusion registry for seven days. Opting out of this condition would result in users being blocked from gambling altogether.

Loss caps would be tied to national income statistics. For users aged 24 and over, the limit would be 10 average monthly private sector salaries. For those under 24, it would be capped at five salaries. Operators would be obligated to communicate the specific monetary values to players clearly within their platforms.

Notifications would be sent at 50%, 75%, and 100% of a player’s loss threshold. Once 100% is reached, the seven-day self-exclusion is triggered automatically.

As with session limits, players could request to increase or decrease their daily loss caps. Increases would be processed after 24 hours, while decreases would be applied instantly.

Caps on Wagers Across Games and Time Blocks

Players would also be required to set a daily wagering cap, with hard upper limits based on age:

• 20 average monthly salaries for users aged 24 and older

• 10 average salaries for users under 24

Operators would apply these caps across all games on a platform, with an additional layer of control based on time of day. Different wagering caps would apply between 6am–8pm and 8pm–6am, though specific figures were not detailed in the current draft.

The proposed rules are now open for stakeholder feedback through 5 July. If adopted, they would mark a significant step in Bulgaria’s broader push to strengthen consumer protection and promote sustainability in the gambling sector.