Bulgaria’s volleyball federation faces fine for gambling ad
Bulgaria’s volleyball federation could be banned for allowing an ad for a banned gambling website to appear on the advertising billboards during the national team’s World League matches against Poland at the weekend, reports in Bulgarian media said.
The fine could range from 10 000 leva to 30 000 leva, according to the reports. If the two matches are seen as separate violations, the total amount could be even higher, because repeat offences are punishable by fines that are double the size.
The online bookmaker in question, Bet at Home, is one of many gambling operators that were recently blacklisted by Bulgaria’s Gambling Commission because they did not hold Bulgarian licences (for more on the gambling ban, read The Sofia Globe coverage here and here).
Bulgaria’s Gambling Act also bans any advertising of gambling operators that do not have a Bulgarian licence.
So far, the Gambling Commission was yet start the administrative procedure to fine the volleyball federation, nor the company that provided the advertising billboards, which is subject to a similar fine under the law because it owns the equipment used to show the ads, news website dnevnik.bg reported.
The report quoted an “unofficial comment” from the federation that said that the advertising targeted the Polish market because it “would have zero effect” in Bulgaria, where access to the blacklisted websites has been cut off by internet service providers.
