Reports GEORGIA REPORT


There is a blanket ban on gambling advertisements both physical, online and broadcast media. There are some exceptions for sponsorship banners at event, on licensed operators’ websites, at venues where gambling is operated. Fines will be imposed for violations. he bill also requires the Revenue Services to manage lists of those with gambling issues or those banned from gambling either via personal exclusion or blacklisted.


Apparently in 2018 a study revealed 87 per cent of Georgians who gamble at least once a month had sold something or borrowed money to fund their gambling.


In terms of the industry data, gambling turnover reached GEL47.4bn (US$16.1bn) in 2021, an increase from GEL32bn (US$10bn) in 2020, which despite the closures and restrictions caused by Covid was a 24 per cent increase on 2019 data. GGR for 2020 amounted to GEL1.37bn ($465m).


In 2019 gambling turnover was GEL25.8bn ($8.7bn) with revenues of GEL1.59bn ($540m). As a comparison and to show the annual growth in 2018 turnover was GEL13.8bn ($4.68bn) and revenues of GEL1.20bn ($409m).


In terms of taxes paid to the state this reached almost GEL350m in 2020 ($118m). Tis was a slight decrease from the GEL415m in 2019. In Q1 2021 turnover reached GEL6.4bn compared to GEL6.7bn in Q1 2020.


Te amendment to the gambling law came into force on March 1 and includes the following:


l l


10 per cent tax on GGR as opposed to seven per cent tax on turnover previously. Plus, there is also a two per cent tax on winnings now in place.


l


Te minimum gambling age for Georgian residents has been increased to 25. According to data there are around 280,000 18-24 years olds in Georgia now unable to gamble.


l


Tere is also a ban on Georgian bank issued cards from being used for gambling services registered outside the country in a bid to


P72 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS l


prevent players from simply accessing offshore accounts.


Tere is a blanket ban on gambling advertisements both physical, online and broadcast media. Tere are some exceptions for sponsorship banners at event, on licensed operators’ websites, at venues where gambling is operated. Fines will be imposed for violations.


Te bill also requires the Revenue Services to manage lists of those with gambling issues or those banned from gambling either via personal exclusion or blacklisted. Te list of those banned from gambling will include civil servants and socially vulnerable people and


could apply to almost one million citizens.


It is said that around GEL1.5bn is spent on online casinos annually and the government is eager to protect the vulnerable. Tere are currently 83 operators in Georgia in total of which six are online operators.


Te anti-gambling groups are urging politicians to direct the 10 per cent tax revenue from the gambling industry to finance gambling addiction programmes.


Te changes however have angered the gambling industry. For one they are in contradiction to the Prime Minister’s backing of a plan to support hotel and casino development


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156