Bulgaria Certifies Three Gaming Equipment and Software Testing Laboratories

November, 25.2013 Chad Holloway

In late October, the Bulgarian State Gambling Commission on Gambling made headlines for banning numerous online poker sites.

However, it now seems the government, which legalized online gambling in 2012, is thinking about prospective licensees as they recently released a list of three certified gaming equipment and software testing laboratories — BMM Testlabs, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), and Bulgarian Institute Metrology.

Only one online operator, Malta-based Eurofootball, has received a license to offer gambling in the country. The sports-betting site is partially owned by Bulgarian billionaire Vasil Krumov Bozhkov.

The Bulgarian government is reportedly considering a lower tax rate — which currently stands at 15% of total turnover — on gambling in order to attract foreign operators to the country.

"The present taxation regime on Internet gambling needs to be liberalized in a way that will attract foreign registered operators to register themselves in Bulgaria and pay their taxes here," said Yordan Tsonev, chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee in Bulgaria.

For more on the online gambling situation in Bulgaria, check out Robbie Davies' op-ed here at PokerNews.com.