Published on 16th June 2016 by Becky Mosley

Bet365 has been given permission to provide sports betting services to customers in Bulgaria after making an appeal to the court of Sofia. The online sports wagering giant had previously been banned from operating on Bulgarian soil because of a decision made by the State Commission on Gambling (SGC).

‘Against The Law’

The SGC put Bet365 on a ‘blacklist’ because it considered the provider to be operating outside of the confines of the law. They removed their licence to offer sports betting in Bulgaria because of a belief that Bet365 had gone against the law before getting full approval to offer these services.Bet365 did not waste any time in opposing the SGC’s decision to remove their licence, and acted quickly to take a stand on the issue. They said that the Commission had made it very difficult for non-Bulgarian betting organisations to develop a customer base in the country, and that this had been done in order to give Bulgarian providers an unfair advantage.

Licence Agreed

Bet365 submitted their appeal to the court of Sofia in April of this year. The aim of the appeal was to quash the decision made by the SGC. The court then conducted a review of Bet365 and their activities in relation to the Commission. The result of this review was that the sports betting company has now been given permission to offer their facilities to Bulgarian customers.The victory for Bet365 in Bulgaria is the conclusion of one of the providers’ Eastern European legal battles. They are continuing to work towards being granted permission to offer online betting services in Romania.

Romanian Licence Withdrawn

Bet365 originally had a Romanian licence, but this was withdrawn due to a dispute over back taxes. Despite the situation regarding the taxes being resolved, Romanian authorities are currently refusing to award a new licence. The win in Bulgaria would suggest that Bet365 will also be triumphant on Romanian soil, but only time will tell.