Georgian prime minister presents draft gaming legislation

The new legislation would increase taxes on the gaming sector, restrict advertising and ban under 25s from gambling.

Georgia.- The prime minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has presented a draft of new gambling legislation to the executive government.

The proposed regulations were drawn up by the Minister of Finance following an announcement by Garibashvili last week in which he suggested legislation would be introduced to completely ban online casino in Georgia.

The draft regulations don’t propose that, but they would increase taxes and place more restrictions on the industry, including a ban on advertising and changes to restrictions on who can gamble.

Garibashvili said the draft legislation would increase the overall tax base on the sector by 65 to 75 per cent, although it’s not clear how he made that calculation.

The bill appears to propose the introduction of a 10 per cent tax on all gaming revenue and a 2 per cent tax on winnings, which players would have to declare as income.

The prime minister said Georgia would also ban under 25s from gambling along with “socially vulnerable persons who are getting allowances from the state, civil servants, individuals requesting self-limitation from the Inland Revenue Service of Georgia and those on a black list due to court rulings at the request of family members.”

He also intends to ban all gambling advertising, including on television, on websites and outdoor advertising. Gambling operators would be allowed to conclude sponsorship agreements with sports teams.

The last change in legislation to affect gambling in Georgia introduced a requirement for software providers like online casino operators to have a legal presence in the country.