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© Georgi Kozhukharov
The Lottery claims that the Gaming Law allowed it not to pay 15% of all lottery income, but only 20% of the commissions and fees that its companies collected from lottery participants.
Vasil Bozhkov’s companies are winning a series of lawsuits against the now-closed State Gaming Commission, and they have a chance to win back their revoked gambling licenses after the National Assembly nationalized the gambling business in the spring, Mediapool reports.
Taxes, fees and interest in the amount of nearly BGN 700 million were filed against Bozhkov’s companies as retroactively owed, and the lotteries were closed. The 7777.bg site itself decided to end its activities due to seizures imposed by the National Revenue Agency, and “Eurofootball” was left without a license due to unpaid fees and taxes.
In recent months, however, the Sofia City Administrative Court overturned a series of decisions by the State Gaming Commission, which revoked the licenses for games of chance organized by Bozhkov’s companies, Mediapool reports. As early as March, the gambling commission decided to temporarily revoke the gaming licenses of Bozhkov’s companies, claiming they owed hundreds of millions in state fees. Meanwhile, the National Revenue Agency has assured companies that they owe nothing.
The court: The revocation of the license of the “National Lottery” is illegal
On November 2, the Sofia Administrative Court declared the temporary revocation of the National Lottery’s commercial gambling license illegal. The Gambling Commission imposed it on the grounds that the company has accumulated more than BGN 3 million in unpaid betting odds over the past six years. However, these obligations are not indisputable because they have not entered into force. The “National Lottery” appealed them in a parallel case, which has not ended.
The court recalls that the license can only be revoked after the unpaid fees laws have gone into effect and become uncontested, and the “National Lottery” is suing the state for this money.
The lottery claims that the Gambling Act allowed it not to pay 15% of all lottery income, but only 20% of the commissions and fees that its companies charged lottery participants. The Ministry of Finance is firmly convinced that the law clearly states that the tax is 15% on bets and it is no coincidence that the state lottery has always paid this fee.
At the same time, the NRA continued to issue notes to the businessman and his companies that they were decent payers.
In one of the cases for the revoked licenses, the court expressed its bewilderment at the action of the Gaming Commission, as it sent notifications for 6 licenses temporarily revoked, but without specifying exactly what they were revoked, and at the same time the “National Lottery” presented the NRA certificate. that there are no obligations.
Another decision of the administrative court revoked the definitive revocation of the license of the “National Lottery” to organize online betting on horse and dog races. The Gaming Commission claims that the company owes BGN 19 million in gaming fees for these bets. The court says these debts are not undisputed because they are being appealed, so the commission has no right to revoke permits.
For the same reasons, the court has revoked the temporary revocation of the license to organize “Eurofootball” online betting – the established obligations are not indisputable, the Mediapool inspection shows. It is understood by law that the state claims almost BGN 330 million from the gambling operator, and cases continue against the acts of the Gambling Commission and the seizures of the National Revenue Agency.
