Bet365 takes Bulgarian regulator to court over gambling restriction order

Bet365 is not one to take rejection—or in this case, restriction—lightly.

The British gambling operator is reportedly appealing Bulgaria’s State Commission on Gambling (SCG) restriction to operate in the country. According to SBC News, the Administrative Court of Sofia heard the appeal last week, with a further hearing scheduled for May 5.

SCG greenlighted Bet365 to operate in the country in August 2015, but the regulator had second thoughts, eventually rescinding its decision even before the ink on the official certificates was dry. The Bulgarian regulator said “it had found the betting operator to have violated several provisions relating to Bulgarian gambling laws.”

The Stoke-based online gambling operator was originally one of the first 20 names blacklisted by SCG two years ago, alongside the familiar faces of 888, Betfair, Befred, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet and Unibet. Betfair, along with PokerStars, came in from the cold in April 2014.