Bulgarian MPs Criminalize 'Black Lotto'

According to new amendments in the Penal Code "Black Lotto" in Bulgaria is now a criminal act, after numerous reports it was on the rise. File photo

The preliminary negotiation and manipulation of sports results and illegal betting are considered now a crime in Bulgaria, after amendments in the Penal Code were passed in the Parliament.

The amendments were passed at second reading Thursday when a new 8th chapter titled Crimes against Sports was included in the Penal Code.

One of the authors of the Bill, Ognyan Stoychkov, pointed out the amendments also pertain to the very popular lately illegal online betting.

The sanctions include up to 6 years of jail time and fines between BGN 1 000 and 10 000 for individuals attempting to influence the final results of sports games by racket, fraud, intimidation and any other illegal way.

Offering a bribe to influence sports results is punished again up to 6 years behind bars and fines between BGN 5 000 and 15 000, while mediation to manipulate these results is punished by 3 years in prison and fines up to BGN 5 000.

Repeat violators will face up to 8 years of jail time and fines between BGN 2 000 and 50 000.

Those who violate a court-ordered ban from visiting sports events can be jailed for up to 3 years or to probation.

The Parliament also amended texts in the Gambling Bill, providing for fines between BGN 20 000 and 50 000 to individuals or businesses organizing illegal gambling.

In mid-May, the expert on cybercrimes with the Main Directorate for the Fight against Organized Crime, (GDBOP), Yavor Kolev, announced that 28 "black lotto" facilities in the country have been busted, while a week earlier the Interior Ministry busted the largest "black lotto" network in Bulgaria, informing it had been managed by "influential businessmen."

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