Online casino to be banned in Georgia
Prime minister Irakli Gharibashvili has ordered his government to ban online casino in Georgia, adopting the toughest stance of any Eastern European state.
Georgia.- Online casino looks set to face a complete ban in Georgia, according to instructions from prime minister Irakli Gharibashvili. He’s reported to have ordered the government to adopt a “two-phase approach”, first hiking taxes and then moving to ban online casino in Georgia completely.
The Georgian minister of finance, Lasha Khutsishvili, will draft a bill outlining an initial raft of measures that would include a “substantial increase on online casino taxes, prohibition of online casino advertising and an increase in the minimum age for gambling to 25+”.
However, that will be followed by further legislation to prohibit online casino operations completely. Gharibashvili described the move as an economic and civic duty to protect the country while the government works on solutions to govern gambling.
He said in a statement: “1.5bn Georgian Lari (€460m) is exported from the country through online casinos. Our citizens and the young generation play in online casinos on a daily basis and lose their money.”
The move would be a reversal for Georgia, which has previously promoted igaming as a potential growth sector for the country. The last change in legislation introduced a requirement for software providers, like online casino operators, to have a legal presence in the country.
