Parliament approves new online gambling regulations
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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.
Online gambling businesses will see a 65-70% increase in taxes from January 2022.
Citizens under the age of 25, socially vulnerable individuals, public employees, individuals blacklisted by courts and those who apply to the Revenue Service to request self-restriction will be banned from gambling from March 2022.
In total, about a million citizens over the age of 18 will be banned from gambling.
Gambling advertisements on TV channels, Georgian websites, as well as outdoors will be banned from March 1.
However, gambling business operators will still be allowed sponsorship.
PM Garibashvili thanked the parliament for supporting the bill, saying that the initiative aims to 'look after' the younger generations.
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.
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’.
About one million Georgian citizens will be banned from online gambling and will not be allowed in brick and mortar casinos, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated earlier today.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that 2021 was a challenging but successful year, noting that the country has concluded the year with double-digit economic growth, more than five million vaccine doses imported, and ‘fair, competitive and free’ municipal elections held in October.
All gambling ads will be banned in Georgia starting March 1, while citizens under the age of 25 will no longer be able to use gambling websites, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced.
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.
Commercial advertising income of the Georgian television and radio broadcasters equalled ₾19 million ($7mln) in the second quarter of 2022, a ₾4.1 million ($1.5mln) decrease compared to the same period of last year and a 17.5 percent reduction year-on-year, the Communications Commission announced on Tuesday.
Over one million Georgian citizens have been included in the list of individuals banned from online gambling and not allowed in brick-and-mortar casinos in the country since the introduction of new regulations for the gambling business on March 1.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday announced taxes on the gambling business would be increased to 15 percent, while withdrawal of money from the business would also be taxed at a higher 5 percent from the banks.
The Investigation Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance has charged two individuals for operating an illegal gambling business in the country's western Adjara region, the state body said on Thursday.