Bulgaria has pinpointed that it hopes to strengthen its regulated gambling industry as it prepares to join the Eurozone, underlining the effect this could have on tackling the illicit market.
During a discussion at the National Centre for Information and Documentation, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov underpinned his belief that joining the Eurozone would mark a major breakthrough in efforts to shed light on illicit operators in the country.
In a key discussion for the political landscape of Bulgaria, Zafirov was joined by the Minister of Interior, Filip Popov, the Chairperson of the Council of Rectors in Bulgaria, Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, MPs, rectors and a myriad of key figures from education in Bulgaria.
Social responsibility was high on the agenda for the Bulgarian stakeholders, with the rise of the grey and black market leading to a lack of awareness around the importance of safer gambling and safeguarding tools for the industry.
Furthermore, Zafirov also underlined the societal consequences of the black market growing and impacting crime rates in the country, as it builds a social climate for criminal activity to thrive.
Bulgaria is seeking economic stability as it continues in its bid to join the Eurozone next year, which it has been eyeing since it became part of the EU in 2007.
Persistent concerns over black market
Bulgaria has previously emphasised concerns over the growth of the black market, not only domestically, but also across Europe.
Rumen Petkov, BSP coalition member and former Interior Minister, recently took aim at the EU for the lack of a unified regulatory registry to collectively flag down illegal gambling actors.
He stated his belief that as a result of this, there is the “creation of the prerequisite for the development of illegal online gambling on the territory of the entire continent”.
“Europe has seen illegal online gambling dominating over the legal alternatives in recent years. This leads to two scary outcomes,” he continued.
“First, there’s an encroachment on the health, finances and well-being of entire generations and entire families. Second – it leads to an uncontrolled stream of funds, which is then re-invested into political influencing, production and trade of drugs, and human trafficking.
“This is a scourge for modern society and Europe’s lack of commitment is frightening.”
Bulgaria is also no exception, with Petkov stating that illegal online gambling cannot be effectively limited and prevented from targeting the most vulnerable groups in the country – namely minors and adolescents.
To better get his point across, he cited data from Bulgaria’s National Gambling Regulator (NRA), where it was said that there are currently 25 licensed gambling providers and 46 issued igaming licences – compared to the 5,174 illegal igaming websites identified by authorities.
“I’m not sure whether we realise to what extent illegal gambling dominates the online space compared to the gambling regulated by the state and is subjected to state regulations,” finished Petkov.
