Bulgaria’s Self-Exclusion Program Registers 11,500+ Entries Since December

Over 11,500 gamblers had sought to be registered in Bulgaria’s national self-exclusion registry since mid-December 2022. This includes both people struggling with gambling harm and at-risk consumers who are concerned about developing harmful habits.

The registry itself is not public. Instead, only a handful of National Revenue Agency (NRA) agents can see the list. Operators, meanwhile, can request access to the registry so they can keep vulnerable players away from harm.

As noted by the NRA, which acts as the country’s gambling regulator, operators are prohibited from offering gambling products to customers whose names appear in the registry.

At the end of May, the NRA updated its digital platform, adding a new API functionality that allows operators to directly access the registry online. Thanks to this, operators in Bulgaria can check the list of excluded people and turn them down if they request to play. In addition, gambling companies can use the new functionalities to communicate with the NRA and share important information.

About Bulgaria’s Self-Exclusion Registry

Bulgaria’s self-exclusion scheme is designed for people who believe they have a gambling problem, as well as for people from low-income areas who might be more vulnerable to gambling addiction.

People who cannot control their spending habits or the time they spend gambling can ask to be included in the exclusion registry. To do so, customers need to fill in a form and either hand it at an NRA office or send it via email to [email protected]. In case a customer wishes to send the form online, they must also sign it with a qualified electronic signature.

Players that wish to exclude themselves from gambling can do so for any period of time that is longer than two years.

Bulgarian customers can learn more about the registry by visiting the Responsible Gambling section on NRA’s official website or by following the NRA’s official YouTube channel. Alternatively, customers can contact the agency by dialing 0700 18 700 or +359 2 9859 6801 on their phones.

The agency urged gamblers to check its Responsible Gambling section and evaluate their gambling habits using NRA’s official self-evaluation test.

Bulgaria’s self-exclusion scheme was launched in mid-December. By the end of April, 7,000 people had requested to be included in the registry, marking a monthly average of 1,700 people. These numbers were attributed to the pent-up demand for self-exclusion caused by the late launch of Bulgaria’s exclusion scheme.