Georgia announces blanket ban on all gambling ads from 1 March
Around one million under 25s to be blocked from online gaming under new legislation
Georgia has confirmed that all gambling ads will be outlawed from 1 March as part of a package of measures to clamp down on the industry.
Furthermore, Georgian citizens under the age of 25 will no longer be able to use gambling websites. Only sponsorship agreements will be allowed, tough.
The move means around one million Georgians will be banned from online gambling and will not be allowed in brick-and-mortar casinos, including those receiving state social assistance and public servants.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called the issue one of the “biggest problems” for the Georgian society, suggesting the 1.5bn GEL ($476m) is currently spent in online casinos each year mostly involves the young and minors.
The government says that online gambling businesses will see a 65%-70% increase in taxes, which will ensure they contribute the same amount of money to the state budget as was the case previously.
Garibashvili has said he plans to use the taxes to prioritise development of sports, promotion of education and creation of employment opportunities.
The Georgian government also plans to offer stricter regulations for registration of online gamblers, as well as depositing money on their accounts. Financial operations will be made only for registered users, while money transfers between gamblers will be restricted.
Tax providers will be obliged not to make transfers to foreign gambling business accounts. The regulations concern only Georgian citizens.
Georgia had hitherto been one of the few European countries to have general restrictions on gambling advertising for minors only.
Major international operators including Flutter, Entain and Betsson have online gambling businesses in the ex-Soviet state.