Over 1 mln individuals on gambling ban list in Georgia

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.

The Revenue Service said on Thursday 1,449,124 had been included in the list since the Law on Organising Lotteries, Games of Chance and Other Prize Games entered force after its initiation by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

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[O]rganisers of gambling and/or profitable games (except incentive lotteries) have the opportunity to verify the presence of an individual in this list from the payer portal of the Revenue Service", the Service said.

Since March 1, gambling business organisers have been required:

• To prohibit individuals included in the list from transferring money to gambling accounts of other individuals
• To prohibit Georgian citizens under the age of 25, foreign citizens under the age of 18 and persons from the list of banned individuals from accessing their gambling venues
• To verify individuals subject to the regulations annually starting with the date of their initial verification - for businesses organising gambling in digital form

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The law has prohibited Georgian citizens receiving social assistance from the state, public servants and individuals on black lists - included based on court decisions following requests by family members - from engaging in gambling in both online form and at brick-and-mortar casinos.

In addition, all gambling ads have been banned in Georgia with the introduction of the new regulation.