Bulgaria Casinos
Bulgarian Online Casinos
Online gambling in Bulgaria is certainly possible. The country issued a new gambling act in 2012 which made it possible for all operators in the European Union (and naturally, those in Bulgaria) to apply for licenses. While this process has not been smooth, with a few bumps on the way, it does make it legal for Bulgarians to find a host of casinos catering to their needs.
Our team has done its homework and exploring the specific legislation behind Bulgaria’s gambling industry. We’ve been able to put together a top list of recommended Bulgarian casinos for you to join. You can check out the very best of these below.
Best Real Money Online Casinos for BG Players
Is It Legal to Gamble Online in Bulgaria?
As touched on above, the answer to “is online casino gambling legal in Bulgaria?” is a straightforward yes. In Bulgaria, legal gambling sites are deemed to be any EU or Bulgarian operators that have successfully applied for a gambling license from the country’s authorities.
Below, we will look at some of the more critical things you need to note about each type of legal betting site in Bulgaria.
Online Casino
Legit BG online casinos are those that have obtained a gambling license from the Bulgarian authorities. These may be based in the European Union or the country itself. Any site that has not obtained a license is deemed illegal and will likely appear on the country’s blacklist. Licensed are issued by the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency, which took over the State Commission on Gambling in 2021. While Bulgaria attempts to issue a blanket ban on all unlicensed sites, there have been no reports of players being punished for visiting foreign sites.
Online Poker
Poker is legal in Bulgaria, but only at online casinos. Online poker rooms are not legal, and even then, the casinos that offer those games must have received a Bulgarian license. Unlike casinos, international poker rooms are not blacklisted, effectively providing access to these sites for Bulgarians.
Online Sports Betting
Sports betting is legal in Bulgaria, but it is run as a state monopoly. Sports betting has been legal for longer than most other forms of gambling since 1957. Today, the Sports Totalizator monopoly runs both land-based and online sports betting options. EU and Bulgarian operators can apply for a license to offer sports betting services alongside the state monopoly. Note that all forms of blood sports are illegal in the country, as is betting on these options, which are deemed “animal cruelty” in Bulgaria.
Online Lottery
The Sports Totalizator monopoly also has power over the country’s national lottery. It offers a 5/35 game, scratch cards and toto. Lottery tickets can be purchased in land-based outlets, but they aren’t always available online. Playing online lottos at international sites is frowned upon but isn’t illegal, and no effective blacklist of sites is in place.
Online Bingo
Bingo has been legal in Bulgaria since 1993. However, like lottery and sports betting options, bingo games form a part of the state monopoly, Sports Totalizator. Online bingo also falls under the monopoly’s jurisdiction, so, in theory, it should be legal. However, no bingo rooms are in operation in Romania, even by the monopoly, leaving bingo games only available as land-based options in the country.
History of Gambling in Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s road to legal online gambling has been a bumpy one. Join us as we chart the highs and lows for you below…
- 1957: The state monopoly, Sports Totalizator, is set up to run the national lottery, sports betting, and bingo games (in 1993). All other forms of gambling games are illegal.
- 1989: A special license is required to offer land-based casino games in the country, and these are few and far between.
- 1993: Gambling effectively becomes legal in the country, and a government decree sets the gambling age limit to 18.
- 1998: The first Gambling Law of Bulgaria was released. It has little regulation but does make it clear that gambling is legal. New taxes are implemented.
- 2008: A decade after the first gambling law was passed, Bulgaria made online betting legal, primarily to ease its transition with EU member states. However, it does not go as far as regulating the industry.
- 2012: The previous gambling law failed to take online gambling into effect. As a result, a new Bulgarian Gambling Law bill was passed. It makes it legal for operators inside the European Union and Bulgaria to obtain a gambling license. However, Bulgaria also begins to implement a blacklist of any betting sites that aren’t licensed. Bulgarian licenses are handed out State Commission on Gambling.
- 2021: An investigation into the State Commission on Gambling reveals corruption within its ranks. As a result, the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency is set up to handle licensing and regulation, taking the place of the corrupt commission.
Is It Safe to Gamble at a BG Online Casino?
Bulgaria has a fully regulated online gambling industry, but some of its regulations are considerably laxer than you might find at, say, UKGC or MGA licensed casinos. That said, many of the major casino and sports betting brands are active in Bulgaria, and these can be trusted.
If you’re in doubt, don’t hesitate to check out our array of safe online casinos for BG players. Each has been carefully vetted by our team to ensure that they are fair, trusted, and secure. You can find out more about how our team makes its recommendations and what we look for in top Bulgarian online casinos below.
How to Choose the Best Online Casino?
If you pour over our online gambling reviews for BG players, you will note that many of the casinos we recommend have things in common. They are all amongst the most trusted online casinos for BG players, of course, but why?
Each of the casinos we recommend to Bulgarian players has passed multiple tests. We’ve checked them for the bonuses they offer, their licensing and regulation, security, safety, the games they provide, the support they offer and more. Find out a bit more about each of these in the next section.
Casino Bonuses
While it may be tempting to snap up the most valuable Bulgarian bonus at a betting site, that is not always the best route. You should consider the terms and conditions attached to the offer, as well as its value. Our team only looks for sites that have fair bonuses with transparent Ts and Cs.
Games and Software
Why play at an online casino that features a hundred games from one provider when you can play at a Bulgarian betting site that offers over a thousand from twenty-plus software developers? That’s what we thought! Our team double-checks to ensure that an array of games are available, that they are fair and have acceptable RTP rates and more.
The Reputation of the Casino
The reputation of Bulgarian online casinos is essential. We need to be sure that they really are licensed, that they provide the responsible gambling tools that players may need, and that they pay out on time.
Casino Customer Support
Customer support should be available for all Bulgarian players in their language of choice. Moreover, this service shouldn’t cost money, and it should be available via a convenient method, such as live chat.
Payment Methods
Bulgarians will want to use the lev to deposit and wager at online casinos. Naturally, we expect to see payment methods that make this possible, as well as fair deposit/withdrawal limits, speedy transaction times and no added fees.
Online Casino Games Available for BG Players
As touched on above, there should be a wealth of games for you to play. These can include new online casino games in Bulgaria, but we also want to see an array of the most popular and best online casinos for Bulgaria-based players. Our recommended online casinos that accept BG players should offer the following:
- Fair RTP rates and house edges;
- A good mix of RNG (random number generator) and live dealer table games;
- Games from a host of different providers;
- Mobile-friendly and free-to-play casino games;
- The ability to wager on games using lev;
- All games should be RNG-certified as fair.
Let us briefly touch on the types of games you should expect to see at Bulgarian casinos:
Online Slots
Online slots for BG players encompass all the most popular options, ranging from classic slots, the old one-armed bandits and fruit machines to modern, progressive, and non-progressive video slots with 243 ways to win, MegaWays and Cluster Pays engines. In short, there is no shortage of top slot machines in Bulgaria.
Online Blackjack
Bulgarians are only going to find blackjack games in casinos, not other betting sites. Even so, there are plenty of blackjack games you can play online for real money in BG casinos, including live dealer and RNG variants.
Online Roulette
The best online roulette gambling sites in Bulgaria are, again, online casinos. You cannot find roulette titles in anything other than casino sites. Once more, available games include a wealth of RNG and live dealer games.
Live Dealer Games
Live casinos are not as commonly found online at Bulgarian casinos as they are at other EU sites. However, that doesn’t mean that if Bulgarians sign up for EU-based casinos, they can’t find them. Baccarat, blackjack, and roulette games make up most of these titles.
Other Online Casino Games
A selection of “other casino games” includes video poker, scratch cards at state-sponsored monopoly sites, but also money-wheel and dice-based games, instant win titles and more.
Most Popular Casino Software in Bulgaria
If you opt to play at one of the larger EU-based Microgaming casinos for BG players, or maybe one of the best NetEnt casinos catering to players in Bulgaria, you can find a wealth of gambling options. You can also find software from multiple developers in Bulgarian-based sites. Known software providers at these casinos include:
- Amaya/Chartwell
- BetSoft Gaming
- Booongo
- EGT
- Evolution Gaming
- GTS
- Microgaming
- NeoGames
- NetEnt
- NYX Interactive
- Play’n Go
- SkillOnNet
- Thunderkick
- WMS Gaming
- and more
Banking Information for BG Players
The best BG online casinos won’t just accept PayPal. Online casinos in Bulgaria aren’t just top sites if they accept VISA. There is more to top banking options at Bulgarian casinos than the payment providers they accept. For instance:
- Sites should accept the Bulgarian lev as a currency option;
- Minimum deposit limits should be relatively low, with the upper limits adjustable;
- Minimum withdrawal limits should be low, but the upper limits should be high or uncapped;
- Payouts should be processed in under 24-48 hours where possible;
- No added fees should be applied for cashing out your winnings.
Amongst the payment methods that you can commonly find at Bulgarian online casinos are…
- Bank Transfers
- EcoPayz
- ePay (EasyPay)
- MasterCard
- Neteller
- PayPal
- Paysafecard
- Skrill
- VISA
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are not accepted at most Bulgarian licensed online casinos. However, if you opt to visit offshore and international crypto casinos, you can usually deposit (and sometimes wager) with these options. The most used cryptocurrencies amongst Bulgarians are Bitcoin and Ethereum, although Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and USDT/Tether are available. Perks to playing with cryptocurrencies at casinos include:
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Speedier transaction times
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Lower fees than some fiat currency options
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Added security when depositing
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Better anonymity if you are betting at a foreign site
BG Gambling Apps
Bulgarian casinos may have a mobile casino app for BG players to use. However, not all casinos require online gambling apps, and you can often play solely with your web browser. These sites are developed in HTML5, making it a doddle for you to easily get to grips with gaming on the go on any iOS or Android device, without the need for downloadable apps.
Bulgarian Online Casino Bonuses & Promo Codes
You should always check the terms and conditions of any bonuses you may think of claiming. Just because something is advertised as the best bonus at an online casino in Bulgaria doesn’t necessarily make it so. For instance, a bonus worth thousands of lev is of little to no use if it comes with high wagering requirements. Moreover, some bonuses have win caps and wager limits that you should explore. If your BG online casino bonus requires bonus codes, they should be readily available on the promotions page at your chosen site.
Let us walk you through a few of the available options at top Bulgarian casinos below:
No Deposit Bonuses
If you opt to claim a no deposit bonus at a casino in Bulgaria, you can expect one of two possibilities. On the one hand, you may get to claim a series of free spins on selected slots. On the other hand, you could be looking at a small sum of cash on selected games. New BG no deposit casinos come online all the time, and we’re always on the lookout for new offers at our recommended sites. Check back regularly for the latest deals.
Deposit Match
A first deposit bonus casino offering BG welcome bonus deals is immediately appealing. However, whether the bonus spans your first deposit or your first several deposits can vary from site to site. Moreover, some welcome bonuses include free spins, and others don’t. Either way, you should ensure that you play at BG online casinos with low deposit terms.
Free Spins
Free spins are more commonly found as a loyalty offer but may also appear as an online casino free signup offer or bonus with no deposit required for Bulgarian players. The available games may vary from one or two titles to a handful to all slots. Similarly, there may be caps on what you can win. Free spin bonuses may require a deposit or may fall under the no deposit bonus genre.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses can provide you with a sum of free cash when you deposit at Bulgarian casinos. They are like welcome bonuses, although they tend to be a touch less grandiose in terms of what they offer. They are unlikely to come with free spins, and you may need separate slot and table game bonuses to use those offers on selected games.
FAQs
Before signing up for any Bulgarian casino (even our recommended ones), we strongly suggest you take a quick peek at the following FAQ (frequently asked questions) guide. We can help you with the following questions:
