Online gaming in Bulgaria boils down to one word: Blacklists! They have been the way a number of governments have attempted to curb online gaming companies deemed of operating illegally within their borders. The country has been one of the countries to have used blacklists as a strategy to stop unlicensed online gaming sites from being accessed by Bulgarians.

Approximately 160 sites providing online gaming in Bulgaria have been blacklisted by the Bulgarian government since March last year. That was when the government officially gave the country’s State Gambling Commission the power to ban the IPs of unlicensed sites.

Many top tier poker services are featured on Bulgaria’s blacklist, including PokerStars, PartyPoker and 888 Poker, all of which are among the top five poker sites in terms of player traffic according to the Poker Scout. A number of other prominent gaming companies, including Ladbrokes and William Hill, have landed on the blacklist.

However, the blacklist is likely to soon be abolished after various licensing and taxation amendments with regards to online gaming were made in Bulgaria’s parliament. According to the Sofia Globe website, the amendments are part of a bill tabled by 11 Members of Parliament who are part of the ruling government. The amendments will also change the way licensed online gaming companies are taxed in the Eastern European country.

Companies that are licensed in Bulgaria are currently required to pay 15 percent tax on total stakes. Under the new amendments, they would be required to pay a licensing fee of 100,000 Lev (around 51,000 Euros) as well as 20 percent tax on gross gaming revenue. This story about online gaming in Bulgaria originally appeared on the Poker Update website.