At first reading, the National Assembly banned the advertising of gambling games in the media. The changes are expected to be finalized at a special session on Tuesday.
With the unanimously supported amendments to the Gambling Act at the first reading, the Parliament banned the advertising of gambling games in radio and television programs, in public places, in building facades, in printed works and in electronic media. Advertising will only be allowed on billboards that are located at a distance of not less than 100 meters from schools, on gaming halls and casinos, and also on sports equipment, sports halls and facilities.
"Vazrazhdane", BSP and ITN questioned the motives of the importers from GERB and The Movement for Rights and Freedoms for mass restriction of gambling activity and saw an attempt for pre-election use, Bulgarian National Radio summarizes.
"Now those who fill the cash registers in gambling will break the phones of certain people to look for them for no other reason, but to have some friendly conversations about "Easter" and about the upcoming elections, since the battle is great," said the socialist Rumen Gechev.
"Every pastry shop is connected to the National Revenue Agency and every boza that is sold is registered with the National Revenue Agency online, but not a single machine of the gambling operators is connected to the National Revenue Agency," commented Grozdan Karadjov from ITN political party.
"In any case, at the moment we have billboards advertising gambling under the road and over the road. What will happen when this thing becomes an option for advertising the gambling business? Everything will be decorated", objected Tsoncho Ganev from "Vazrazhdane.
The chairman of the budget committee Yordan Tsonev countered: "If an activity is to be allowed, it must be carefully regulated".
Parliamentary groups made requests for changes between the two readings of the bill.
PP-DB insists that billboards advertising gambling be located at a distance of no less than 300 meters from schools and that municipal centres be created to combat gambling addiction and resocialization. They also declared themselves "in favour" of connecting the machines in the casinos to the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency.
ITN suggests that the distance of billboards should be a minimum of 500 meters not only from schools but also from universities.
The period between the two readings will be three days, on Tuesday there will be an extraordinary budget committee and an extraordinary session of the National Assembly for the final adoption. /BGNES
