Major TV stations, websites and other media groups in Bulgaria are heavily dependent on gambling advertising and their functioning, as well as freedom of speech, will be threatened if the drastic ban on betting advertising proposed by GERB and DPS five days ago is adopted. This was made clear by the positions of television stations, journalists, media groups and media associations, which strongly resisted the ban, which, however, has been demanded for years by media experts, child protection organizations, psychologists, groups of gambling addicts and numerous citizens through online petitions .
On Wednesday, April 24, Temenuzka Petkova from GERB and Yordan Tsonev from DPS submitted a proposal for a complete ban on gambling advertising in all types of media – television, radio, newspapers and online sites. Only outdoor advertising is allowed on billboards located at a distance of not less than 100 meters from schools, on the gambling halls themselves, as well as on sports facilities and equipment, except for children. The proposals were adopted unanimously, without a single vote against or abstention, in plenary on Friday. PP-DB said that they support the project in principle, although they have reservations about the details. During the weekend former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov explained that the ban on gambling advertising is a direct threat to the media, as a major source of income will disappear and they will become more dependent.
“Let’s hope that (the proposal, b. r.) is an oversight. The worse thing is if someone, clothed in power – in this case legislative, tries to strike a blow against the freedom of the media, and purposefully. I hope to be an oversight and have another day to think about the effect of what they are going to do. It is not in anyone’s interest.” commented in the morning block of Nova TV the head of the business department of “24 Chasa” Samuil Ognyanov. According to him, bans cannot protect young people from gambling, and politicians only use this convenient pretext to suppress the freedom of journalism.
Nova TV reported on Monday that its owner “New Broadcasting Group” has sent a position to MPs that such a ban in the middle of the year would jeopardize many of the media’s sports broadcasts, especially related to the European football championship. Group “No info” which has numerous sites in our country (Nova.bg, Vesti.bg, Telegraph.bg, Gong.bg, Pariteni.bg, Vbox7.com, etc.), will also experience serious difficulties if it is deprived of gambling revenues.
In 2020, it was “Nova TV” that surfaced in the notorious gambling scandal “notebook”signed by its then owner Kiril Domuschiev and the gambling boss Vasil Bozhkov. It was distributed by Bozhkov, who complained that he was under pressure to conclude a contract for gambling advertising in the group’s media for BGN 24 million including VAT per year. Although Bozhkov’s gambling business was closed by the state, the advertising of bets on television and in the online media did not decrease, and even increased significantly. According to rough calculations, it amounts to BGN 150-200 million per year in 2022 and 2023.
The vote on the ban on gambling ads is scheduled for a second reading on Tuesday, April 30. At 18.00 on Monday, the deadline for proposals between the first and second readings expires. Several affected parties have so far sent comments on the proposals.
According to the opinion of the association chaired by the founder of “Sportal.bg” Stilyan Shishkov, the gambling sector is “for” restricting gambling advertising. However, the proposal for a ban does not take into account the potential effect for the growth of the gray sector, and the televisions and radios themselves are not indicated as interested parties, in relation to which the submitted draft law would have a direct impact, he adds The Bulgarian Association for Gambling Activities.
“Experience shows that the Bulgarian user of online gambling games does not show special attention and criticality regarding his choice not to bet on unlicensed sites – on the one hand, and on the other hand, the introduction of restrictions turns out to be ineffective given the technological possibilities to access platforms In this regard, and as the experience of other European markets shows, the restriction of advertising leads to an increase in the activity of unlicensed sites, which respectively reduces the state’s ability to collect taxes and fees from gambling activities, as well as to provide protection to these users”, Shishkov points out.
From The Association of Bulgarian Radio and Television Broadcasters (ABRO) point out that “the ban on advertising in the media is a ban on the provision of a media service within the meaning of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive”, and financial sustainability of the media, including through gambling advertisements, is important for quality journalism.
The Technology Industry Alliance on the other hand, it signals a problem with the implementation of the ban on the Internet. According to the position, the provider of electronic communication services cannot be obliged to limit on its own initiative websites, online shops, platforms, etc. This contradicts EU law, the alliance claims.
The famous volleyball player Lyubo Ganev in an interview with Nova TV on Monday, he recalled that sports will also be affected drastically by the possible suspension of gambling advertising, because the income of gambling companies will decrease, and they will cut the funding of sports. However, the GERB and DPS project does not limit the sponsorship itself.
Ganev has proposed several times that if the gambling revenue is cut, the state should finance sports from other big businesses – the banks, insurers, energy companies or through the military-industrial complex. Unlike sports, however, banks are required to comply with corporate ethics and social responsibility through so-called ESG policies, according to which gambling is a prohibited activity for bank lending.
“Through sports and through education, values are built that are very difficult for anyone to replace.” said Lyubo Ganev. According to him, whether or not to gamble is a personal choice. At the same time, it is known that the share of gambling addicts among athletes is very high, and the values taught by sports cannot protect many of them from addiction. Ganev insists that if gambling advertising is banned, the state should say how it will compensate the media and sports, which are the main parties affected by the measure.
OPINION of Sibina Grigorova, journalist, managing editor of the website “Boulevard Bulgaria”:
A complete ban on gambling advertising is harmful
A complete ban on gambling advertising in online media, radio and television – this is what GERB and DPS propose, and a second reading vote is due on Tuesday.
It sounds too good to be true. Here are some arguments why this law is harmful.
1. The biggest media in Bulgaria rely on this money, and if the ban goes into effect immediately, it will mess up the budgets of television stations and publishers in Bulgaria. I.e. we are certainly talking about a targeted strike against them in a pre-election situation.
2. It is extremely worrying that gambling is rampant among young boys who spin pinwheels on their phones. However, they neither watch TV nor listen to the radio. The audiences of the media in our country are at best 25-54 years old. The money from the media will flow to influencers in the platforms. That is the effect will be the opposite – it guarantees full exposure of the young.
3. Advertising is not just a clip on TV or a banner on a website. For unknown reasons, the initiators of the law Temenuzka Petkova and Yordan Tsonev (!) leave all outdoor advertising available to gambling. This means that every billboard and pole will be decorated with batting. I.e. they will clear the media, but they will fill social networks and the entire public space.
4. Again, under the new law, there is no problem to distribute posters, leaflets, and certainly to ring your doorbell and offer you 50 BGN for an initial bonus.
5. Amendments to the law prohibit advertising on facades, but leave it inside sports halls where children train.
6. Again, the problem is left unsolved that online betting sites do not follow the rules of good practice – allowing minors to bypass age restrictions, people not declaring the source of income, etc.
That is, what is being done is not for good and does not solve a problem. It’s like treating an alcoholic by cutting off one of his legs so he can’t go to the pub.
The effect of the ban will be worse – 20 media outlets will be hit, and gambling advertising will continue to flood us.
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