Ban on gambling TV ads to take effect in March
Gambling advertisements on TV, on Georgian webpages, as well as outdoors will be banned in Georgia in March. Photo: ThoroughlyReviewed/CC BY 2.O.
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Ban on gambling advertisements on television will take effect in March, the ruling Georgian Dream MP Irakli Zarkua said earlier today.
Television producers have been asking for the deadline to be postponed until September 2022, though Zarkua said ‘the optimal deadline is March’.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on November 29 that about one million Georgian citizens will be banned from online gambling and will not be allowed in brick and mortar casinos.
What are the new governmental regulations for the gambling business?
According to the amendments proposed by the country’s Finance Ministry, the lower age limit for gamblers is increasing to 25 years of age.
Gambling advertisements on TV, on Georgian webpages, as well as outdoors will be banned in Georgia.
The government has plans to enact stricter regulations for registration of online gamblers, as well as depositing money to their accounts.
Financial operations will be available only for registered users, while money transfers between gamblers will be restricted.
The Lelo for Georgia party has proposed a tax exemption for all media outlets for three years. Lelo member Saba Buadze said that amid the difficult economic situation caused by Covid-19, advertising revenues have significantly fallen in the country.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says the government has plans to increase fees for online gambling businesses – which are mostly foreign owned – as well as to ban ads, and increase the lower age limit for gamblers to 25 years.
The government of Georgia has decided to reduce the cost of a first year permit fee to operate a casino in the capital city of Tbilisi from 5 million GEL to 2.5 million GEL. The decision will apply to permits that will be issued from July 5, 2021 to January 1, 2022.
Georgian athletes have stated earlier today that Georgian sport will be left without funding if the parliament approves legislative restrictions on gambling in the country.
The Georgian parliament has approved new legislative regulations for online gambling businesses. Eighty-two MPs supported the changes proposed by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in its third and final reading in a 150-member state legislature.
The introduction of the ban on gambling advertising in Georgia starting today will deal with “one of the biggest problems” of the country’s population, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday.