Bulgarian gaming regulators issued their first online sports betting license this week to the Malta-based Eurofootball site. The operator will be paying around €20,000 ($27,000 USD) for the privilege.
News of the sportsbook sites’ license (which was first reported by EGR Magazine) is especially newsworthy given the delays that have plagued the process. Most operators had expected the government would start issuing licenses some time last year.
Given the Bulgarians’ hard line on unlicensed competition in the legal online sports betting market, Eurofootball now has a golden opportunity to establish themselves as the top stop for punters who bet sports online. That’s because Bulgaria is strictly enforcing a blacklist that keeps unlicensed competition out of the .bg domain.
While landing on a blacklist is no operator’s idea of a good time, the one’s that do find themselves locked out of Bulgaria will be in very good company. Earlier this year both William Hill and Poker Stars made the list. In the last week, Interwetten joined the 133 domains that are already barred from Bulgaria.
If Eurofootball really wants to make a splash in Bulgaria, they’ll have to move quickly. According to published reports, a long list of operators have started the licensing process and are itching to do business in the former Communist nation.
Though online wagering has only recently been regulated in Bulgaria, unlicensed operators have long done big business with its soccer-mad citizens.
One of the best sportsbook affiliate programs for the Bulgarian market is BetRockIt. You can learn more about BetRockIt in the CAP Network.