Bet365 is back on the list of officially licensed sports betting operators in Bulgaria after a court in Sofia decided in its favor in an appeal against the state gambling regulator.

When the market first opened, Bet365 found itself on Bulgaria’s online gambling blacklist (which happened to almost all the major operators). After Bet365 made a formal license application it was removed from that list.

Bet365 struggled with a legal challenge after they were awarded a license that was immediately suspended by the State Gambling Commission (SGC). The SGC alleged that Bet365 had broken the restrictions on serving the Bulgarian market while its application was being processed.

Bet365 responded that the decision was motivated by a desire to keep them out of the market in order to protect the Bulgarian owned incumbents who feared the competition.

Bet 365 raised the issue in the EU, which sent observers to the court to monitor the possibility of anti-competitive practices. The details of this ruling are not known, but the outcome is clear: Bet365 can now expand its operations legally in the EU member state. Bet365.com is licensed to offer sports betting as well as betting on horse and dog racing.