site.btaParliament Leader Defends Betting Shirt as “Shock Tactic” to Raise Awareness of Addictions

The Bulgarian Parliament leader, Nataliya Kiselova, said she wore a shirt with the name of a sport betting operator because she saw it as “shock tactic to raise awareness of addictions in the Bulgarian society”. The photo of Kiselova wearing the limited-edition shirt with the name of the betting company and football club sponsor written across the chest, and her name and the number 240 on the back, has gone viral. A parliamentary party put out a statement calling it “an outrage” and “inadmissible”, and urged Kiselova to come down for advertising a gambling operator.

The Parliament Chair wore the shirt at a football match between the Premier Division CSKA and Cherno More in the Vasil Levski National Stadium on April 22.

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria said her choice of what to wear was inadmissible – morally and legally. They also argued that it violated the parliamentary rules of organization which does not allow MPs to use their official position for advertising. They also point out that Parliament adopted unanimously a ban on advertising gambling in the media, which was “a clear and firm message against gambling addition that is destroying the life of thousands of Bulgarian families”. The statement further says that Kiselova undermined the image of Parliament and people’s confidence in the constitutional order.

The Parliament leader was asked by reporters about the shirt on Wednesday and she said, “It is a shocking way to raise the issue of addictions in the Bulgarian society. […] Legislation concerning gambling is rather dynamic. The problems of gambling, alcohol and drug use are impacting seriously the Bulgarian society. Here comes a bigger question: can we rely on gambling [companies] only to support sport. It is for our society to answer this question.”

She explained that the number 240 is on the back of the shirt because she is the 240th MP”.

Asked weather she would propose legislation to ban the advertising of gambling operators on sports equipment, she said that “the question is not to ban gambling but to make a distinction between illegal gambling operations and those who pay taxes”. “The question is not only about what name is on the stadium boards or on shirts. See what the stadiums are like, the websites,” she said. She believes what matters more is “what our football teams are like and that more efforts is needed in developing football academies” with the professional clubs.

Asked if she now thinks wearing the shirt was a mistake, she said, “You gave the football team such publicity that they’re probably quite happy now.”

At the Tuesday match, the team that Kiselova supports, CSKA, won 2:1.